How to Find an Assisted Living Facility for a Senior

Assisted living facilities offer independent or shared living in a senior community, plus various levels of assistance with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, shopping, cooking and transportation.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Realize that seniors who live in an assisted living facility, whether it is stand-alone or in a wing at a continuing care retirement community (CCRC), may have their own place, live with a spouse or share a room with another senior.

2. Know that prices range from $1,500 to $3,500 per month for assisted living facilities, whether stand-alone or part of a CCRC.

3. Note that seniors who enter a CCRC at the independent level may make a transition into the skilled nursing or assisted living units as their needs change. The same monthly fee would apply.

4. Talk to your senior family member's physician or social worker for referrals when choosing an assisted living facility.

5. Get in touch with a geriatric care manager for information about assisted living facilities in a senior family member's community. Geriatric care managers are often nurses, social workers and psychologists by training, with an expertise in geriatrics. They charge privately for their services.

6. Look through your local yellow pages for listings of assisted living facilities.

7. Take the marketing tours of prospective assisted living facilities. Talk to staff and residents alike, asking about staffing levels, staff credentials and qualifications, meals, employee drug screening and employee background checks.

8. Check out online directories of senior care facilities such as Senior Care Review, Care Guide(415-474-1278), New Lifestyles(800-820-3013) and Senior Alternatives(800-350-0770) for assisted living facility listings.

Tips & Warnings

• Facilities range in size from small six-bed homes to those with 200 or more people.
• Some CCRCs require seniors to pay a one-time community fee if the senior is entering at the assisted living or nursing home level. Fees are sometimes one to two months' rent.
• Make sure you know what type of reciprocal agreement a CCRC has with other CCRCs should the assisted living wing be full at the time a senior wishes to make the transition from independent living to assisted living.
• Medicare does not cover assisted living. In some states Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) may also cover assisted living facilities.

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on 3/6/2006 Marketing tours are lovely, and present the very best side of any assisted care facility. If you find one that might be of interest, ask if you can come back to visit during the evening (what kind of staff is available), mealtime (a good time to talk with other residents) and night. Night hours can be very lonely and frightening for a resident, and you want to make sure that the staff is attentive, respectful, and alert.