Choosing a senior living facility in Fort Lauderdale is a big decision to make. It’s important to take all the time you need and conduct any research necessary before choosing the right home. Once you’ve narrowed your list down to a couple of choices, you may want to tour them before making your final decision.
When you take a tour of a senior living facility in Fort Lauderdale, make sure you ask these 10 questions to decide if it’s the right home for your loved one.
How Do You Welcome New Residents?
When a new resident moves into a community, those early days can greatly impact how they feel about the people and the changes they’re experiencing. Asking how new residents are welcomed can give you a good idea of how quickly your loved one will become part of their new community.
What Kind of Training Do Your Employees Go Through?
The staff in your loved one’s senior living community must be adequately trained to take care of seniors. This is a perfect opportunity to find out what type of compliance standards, evaluations, and regular training employees go through to ensure safety in all parts of the community.
How Many Residents Are There?
Asking this question can let you become aware of overpopulation issues. If there are too many residents for the number of staff the community has, it’s a sign that you’ll likely want to look elsewhere for your loved one’s new home.
Do You Always Have Staff on Site?
Some assisted living communities only have staff on-site during certain hours of the day. If you’re looking for a senior living facility that has 24/7 care available, this is a crucial question to ask during your tour.
What Meal Services Are Available?
Some senior living facilities have a lot of dining options for their residents including buffets, restaurants, room service, and meal planning. It’s a good idea to get an idea of how much variety the residents are offered. Check out a sample menu as well to see if they offer healthy options or accommodations for certain dietary restrictions.
What Activities Do You Offer?
Many senior living facilities have moved to have monthly activity calendars that encourage both socialization and routine for their residents. You can ask to see their calendar and even ask about which activities are most popular among the residents. There should be a nice variety of activities, including physical activity, social events, creative outlets, and even spiritual options.
What Influence Do Your Residents Have?
Ask your tour guide how much residents can have a say in the types of activities or changes that occur in the senior living facility. This can give you a good idea of how much the staff cares for the true happiness of their residents. Options like a Resident Council or Town Hall meetings are great to look for to ensure that residents have a voice.
How Involved Can Family Be?
It’s also important to ask about how often family can visit or if there are social activities where family members are allowed to join in. Plus, you need to ask about the rules regarding family members meeting with staff to discuss and make changes to care as needed to ensure you’ll have the control you need for your loved one.
How Do You Gauge Happiness?
Understanding the happiness of residents is vital to having a great senior living environment. Ask how the staff measures the happiness of their residents and then what they do with the data they receive. Options like surveys are good tools to look for when discussing this question.
How Do You Foster Community?
One of the perks of senior living facilities is the added community feel your loved one will experience. It’s great to find out how they prioritize the relationship between staff and residents as well as among the residents. There should be both formal and informal ways to develop connections in the community.
The Takeaway
Touring a senior living facility is a huge step in ensuring you’re choosing the right home for your loved one. When you’re ready to help your loved one move into a senior living facility in Fort Lauderdale, contact LiveWell Placements. Our team is here to help you find the perfect home for your loved one and ensure they’re happy once they get there.
As a senior living referral service, we are dedicated to helping you and your loved ones find the best possible home solutions at no cost to you. With our personalized approach, we can find the best solution for you and your loved one. Whether that means assisted living in Fort Lauderdale, nursing homes in Fort Lauderdale, dementia care in Fort Lauderdale, or independent living in Fort Lauderdale. Call the experts at LiveWell Placements to get started today. Find our contact page here to get in touch with us or learn more about our personalized approach here.
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