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Signs You Found the Best Assisted Living

In the forefront are yellow tulips and in the background is a woman sitting down resting her hands on her walking cane

Whether you’ve been researching assisted living communities for a while or just started your journey, the fact remains that there are a lot of choices out there. So, how do you know when you’ve found the best assisted living option for yourself or a loved one? When it comes to finding one that fits your retirement lifestyle, here’s how to choose an assisted living community.

What Is Assisted Living?

Before we get started, for the people who are just starting their search, it’s a good idea to define assisted living. That will go a long way in determining if you’ve found the best assisted living option.

One key benefit of moving to an assisted living community is getting help with activities of daily living (ADLs), including everything from getting dressed and bathing to medication management and eating. There is also scheduled transportation for group outings, shopping and doctor appointments. Residents have their own apartment homes that they can decorate, and they’re free to enjoy all the services and amenities the community offers.

Making Your Choice

Before deciding, you should ask about assisted living costs, staffing ratios and tenure, availability of on-site care, level of personal assistance available and be sure to talk with residents and staff. All the good communities should meet your criteria. However, if you want to separate the good communities from the best assisted living communities for you, here are some things to consider:

  • Did you feel welcome when you went on the tour?

How did you feel when you visited? Were people friendly and helpful? Did they answer your questions? Did they seem happy to see you?

  • Do you feel excited about decorating your apartment?

How do you feel about your potential residence? Does it fit your style? Can you picture your stuff in it? Having a place that feels like home is important in making such a big decision.

  • Are there activities or programs you would look forward to?

What are you interests, or what new hobbies would you like to try? Art classes? History discussions? Fitness classes? Scenic drives? Walking or hiking? When you look at the community’s activity calendar, is there a list of things that interest you?

  • Does the community fit with your lifestyle?

Can you see yourself living here? Do you like the feel of the place? Do you like the people? Does it seem like a place where you could achieve your goals and/or that would support you along the way?

  • Do you think it would be easy to make friends here?

Sometimes you just know when you click with people. You have similar backgrounds, experiences or interests. As you talk to your potential future neighbors, do you want to be friends with them? Are you interested in getting to know them better?

  • Does the food look good?

Eating is an important part of our everyday lives. When you look over the menu or tour the community during a meal, does it make you look forward to sitting down to eat? Do you see things on the menu you like or would like to try? If so, that’s a good sign you’ll like the community.

  • If you’re a person of faith, does this community feel like a place where you can follow your beliefs?

Having a supportive community around you is important to your overall health and wellness. Does the community offer religious or faith-based discussion groups? Do they offer worship services on-site? Is transportation available to off-site services?

  • Do you feel like you’d be giving something up if you moved here? Are there experiences you’d miss out on?

No option is perfect, but you want to find a community that you’re excited to be a part of and feel like it’ll add to your life and goals, not take away from it. Is staff supportive of residents? Do the residents seem to be enjoying themselves?

  • Do you have a pet? If so, would they like to live here?

Do you see other pets? Do the residents and staff like pets? Having a furry friend can be an important part of anyone’s life so make sure they’d enjoy living here too.

Giving You Our Best

At Freedom Village, we’ve helped hundreds of older adults find the best assisted living option for themselves or a loved one. If you’re ready to use our Community Assistant chat feature or contact us here to schedule your personal visit today.