Avoid These 5 Crucial Mistakes When Choosing a Senior Living Community

Donna Nichols • July 19, 2021

Don’t make these crucial mistakes when choosing a Senior Living Community

At Assisted Living Made Simple we see this all the time and decided to share with you the 5 most common mistakes you need to avoid when choosing a community.

Avoid these mistakes when choosing a senior living community © Halina Valiushka  | Dreamstime.com

1. Focusing on the beauty of the community.

Yes, this place is beautiful, look at the chandeliers, the garden is lovely, there are so many books in the library! What about the care? Do they have any? How long has the staff worked there? Do they care about YOU?

See if you can chat with a few of the residents when you visit the community. If that’s not possible, pay attention to how they look, are dressed and if they are engaging with others. This can tell you if the staff is keeping them healthy and active.

2. Deciding too quickly.

Don’t make this decision too quickly. Assisted Living Made Simple always likes to tour you at three (3) places, whether it be in the Palm Coast area or Central Florida, to ensure you see the different communities and their offerings.

This is one reason we ask the questions we do, we don’t want you to move into the wrong community. We want you to move one time and one time only. Moving into a community doesn’t have to be stressful, but if you move into the wrong one, it increases your stress level immensely.

3. Taking this on by yourself.

Don’t do this alone! There are placement services out there who do this for YOU! We take you by the hand and have already done the leg work. We know the good, the bad and the ugly. If we won’t place our loved one there, we’re not going to place your loved one there.

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4. Not visiting the communities for yourself.

Too many people say they don’t have time, or they trust their loved one’s decision. Please visit the community for yourself; you may notice something your loved one missed.

This is very important! Once again, try to visit during lunch and eat with them so you can taste the food; you want to ensure it’s good. Don’t rely on pictures from the internet; you know how good food looks in TV commercials and then it doesn’t look that good at the restaurant? The same thing can happen in these communities, the rooms and/or food in the pictures can be fantastic and when you’re living there, it’s nothing like the pictures. So, please visit them for yourself and check them out.

5. Waiting too long.

Please don’t wait too long to make the move. This happens all too often and then you’re stressing out, scrambling around at the last minute trying to find a community for your loved one.

Make a plan, you know when the time is coming. Start the talk now. Rose and her partner, Susan, wrote a book, A Guiding Light for Seniors and Their Families , it is a comprehensive workbook that walks you through the stages of aging and helps you make a plan. It gives you pointers about how to start the talk, tells you what documents you need to have in order and so much more and it’s a free download from our website.

There is no reason for mistakes when choosing a community for you or your loved one. With the proper guidance, it can be a stress-free, hassle-free journey. Call Assisted Living Made Simple today for your FREE consultation. DON’T go it alone!!

If you need help or encouragement as a Caregiver give us a call at  386-847-2322 or check out our  Caregiver Support Group. Our  Senior Advisors  are here to walk with you through this journey.

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