By Abigail Garvin, Director of Marketing & PR at BBB of the UpstateChoosing an assisted living community is a big decision.Whether you decide for yourself or a loved one, you want to find a new home that meets all your clinical, financial, and lifestyle needs.Here are BBBs tips for researching assisted living communities and finding the best option for you: Get recommendations.Ask friends, family, and your doctor what assisted living communities they recommend.
If someone you know lives in an assisted living community, ask them how they like it.Their experience can give you insight into what communities have the best reputation in your local area.Search for BBB Accredited assisted living communities in your area on BBB.org.
Consider your needs.Residents in assisted living usually need help with some basic activities of daily living.These include bathing, dressing, eating, and mobility concerns.
A few assisted living communities specialize in caring for people with specific conditions.Consider how much assistance you or your loved one needs, and go from there.Consider the cost.
Medicare does not cover assisted living costs, which is why most people pay with private funds.If you need help paying for assisted living, speak with a financial advisor or research local resources and assistance programs to help lessen the costs.Ask a long-term care ombudsperson for advice.
Find your states long-term care ombudsman program for more information about assisted living communities in your area.Your local ombudsperson can help you investigate and get to know their track record.Think about location.
Being close to friends and family is important.Not only will residents receive lots of visitors, but employees will also know that their care is under the scrutiny of the residents visitors.Ask plenty of questions.
Before calling assisted living communities, consider the questions you must ask.(See pages 5759 in this publication.) Make a checklist.With so many needs to meet and questions to ask, its a good idea to write everything down.
Make a checklist of your most important questions and take it with you when you visit.Write down the answers, too.This checklist will come in handy when you start comparison shopping.
Be observant when you visit.As you tour, keep your eyes open to the cleanliness, activities, safety features, available common areas, how friendly the staff is, and how healthy and happy the residents seem.Ask residents about their experience.
Carefully review contracts.Its easy to skim long, wordy documents, but its critical to read assisted living contracts from start to finish.Keep an eye out for unexpected fees or deposits so you wont have any surprises when your first bill arrives.
In addition, pay attention to the rules regarding discharging or evicting a resident, late or missed payments, and how the community handles (or limits) your rights to file a lawsuit should something go aw
Disclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Senior Savings Deals.
Publisher: Life Plan Community ( Read More )
Publisher: Life Plan Community ( Read More )
