Factors To Consider When Choosing A Retirement Community For Your Parents

The task of finding the best retirement community your parents can move in to can be pretty daunting. As if making the final decision of having to move your parents to a retirement facility isn't heartbreaking enough! Fortunately, there are a lot of resources that can help your parents and the entire family cope with this life-changing process.

Knowing that your mom or dad (or both) are given the best care and accommodation by a competent and trustworthy nursing home staff will give you peace of mind. Here is a checklist that you can bring with you when touring various retirement communities to find the one that's best for your parents:

The Ambience

A warm, welcoming, and comfortable atmosphere is crucial in a nursing home. Make the move as easy as possible by choosing a community that, to your parents, will still feel like home away from home.

The ideal nursing home would be located in a safe neighborhood and far away from the city noise. Upon entering the facility, take note of the surroundings, the outward appearance of the apartments, and the actual living quarters of the residents.

More importantly, observe how the staff treats the residents. Are they showing patience, warmth, and friendliness when dealing with the elderlies? If you notice a hint of impatience or hostility in some of the staff members, consider finding another nursing home where you are sure that your parents will be treated with utmost care and respect.

It is important to note how the residents act and behave. If they appear engaged, comfortable, and happy when interacting with the staff and fellow residents, then they must be getting the care and attention they deserve.

Services and Policies

Staff should be available 24/7 to administer medical or personal care to those who need it. Find out their policies on medications, including self-administration, storage, and record-keeping. Ask if they have an individual plan of care for each resident. This is important especially for those with special needs or dementia.

Know their emergency handling policies and if the staff who administer them are qualified professionals. It is very important for a senior retirement community to have a physician who visits the facility regularly and who would be on-call 24/7 to handle medical emergencies anytime they occur.

Costs

If you think you've found a retirement community where you're confident your loved ones will feel most at home at, don't go into a contract just yet. You have to take into account your loved ones' health condition and determine whether the retirement home are able to cater to your parents' needs. Different retirement homes offer different packages at different prices. Residential care facilities offer board, lodging and help for daily activities related to independent living. Senior assisted living facilities offer more services like private rooms, recreation, and personal care, thus charging more than what residential care facilities do.

Ask if there are extra costs that you will be paying aside from the obvious entry and monthly fees. Read the fine print of the contract for an exit clause, just in case you will find the need to break from the contract early.

Finding the perfect retirement community can be a long and arduous process, but this is the life of your parents we are talking about so don't rush and consider your options carefully.