5 Tips for Your Continuing Care Retirement Community Tour
July 24, 2018
You can research senior living communities with your loved one for hours. You can map out the pros and cons of each. You can watch virtual tours online, read informative blog posts (like this one), scroll through floor plan options, and learn about pricing. But nothing will give you more insight and understanding of continuing care retirement communities than an in-person tour.
Scheduling a tour to see the community firsthand allows you to envision yourself living there. Will it feel like home? Does it offer everything you need for a secure, healthy future? Will it allow you to live life fully in a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable atmosphere? A tour will help you answer these questions with certainty.
Tips to Remember During Your Senior Living Community Tour
Tip #1: Do plenty of research beforehand to narrow the contenders.
To keep things from getting overwhelming, narrow down your list of continuing care retirement communities to a small handful – two to three – to actually visit in person. This will ensure you’re not wasting time on tours that most likely won’t make the cut. It’s a more efficient use of time.
Tip #2: Talk to staff about the different levels of care available.
Before you visit the retirement community, you may already know which types of care are available, such as independent living, assisted living, memory care, nursing and rehabilitation services, or others. But talking to a staff member about the care can provide an insider’s perspective on the quality of care offered. How do the different levels of care collaborate (when needed), and what’s included with each of them? An expert on campus is the perfect place to find these answers.
Tip #3: Observe, then observe some more.
Do you like to people watch? While on your tour of the continuing care retirement community, pay close attention to the interactions and environment around you. How do staff treat the residents? How do the residents act, and what kind of emotions do they display? Does the environment seem cheerful, comfortable and welcoming? Simply taking note of everything and everyone around you can give great insight into whether it’s the right fit for you.
Tip #4: Visit more than one floor plan, if possible.
Even if you are fairly certain you know which floor plan would work best for you, it’s a good idea to visit more than one in person. You might think your belongings will fit in one floor plan perfectly, but after seeing it in person, realize that it feels larger or smaller than you expected. Seeing a couple of the available floor plans is ideal to give you a true sense of the space.
Tip #5: Pop into an event, join an activity, or have a meal.
If the senior living community offers events open to the public, you can often schedule your tour to coincide with one of the regularly-scheduled events so you can join or observe. This will give you a feel for what it would be like to participate as a resident. It might also give you an opportunity to talk to some of the current residents, who would become your neighbors and friends if you decided to move to the community. Eating a meal at the community is another important part of the research process, since you should like the food of the community you choose. Be as open-minded and social as possible and remember that it’s all part of the research process.
Schedule a Tour at Stonebridge at Montgomery
Are you ready to find the place you can call home? A tour is an essential next step. At Stonebridge at Montgomery, we want you to find a place where you can grow, live fully, and enjoy life. Explore our living options and schedule a visit with us today.
