Choosing a senior living apartment can be overwhelming. There are a lot of different options out there and narrowing them down can seem impossible! The best place to start is by thinking about what you want out of your senior living apartment, and then you can go on to start looking at individual apartments and communities.
What lifestyle do you want?
Take the time to think about what kind of things you need to help you to feel happier in your life.
Some things to think about are:
- Are there any family members that you would like to be close to, for example, or is there an area of the country that you have a particular affinity with?
- What is the community like? One of the great things about a lot of senior living apartments is that they are within a community. It’s a good idea to choose an apartment with a community that you want to be part of, where taking part in community activities is actively facilitated.
- Choose a community where helping you to maintain your independence and autonomy is a priority.
- Think about things like car parking, and will you be allowed to bring your pets with you? How many rooms do you need?
You can use these kinds of questions to narrow down your options. Once you have a few communities in mind, you can start to look into them online.
Online Reviews
Online reviews are a great way to see what other people think about the communities you are considering, however, it’s important that you be mindful that not all reviews will be 100% truthful.
The most honest reviews are often those that are in the ‘middle of the road’ so the 3 and 4 star mark. It’s also worth reading the negative reviews to see what their issues were; if these issues are something that worries you too, you can bring them up with the community and see if the problem has been addressed. Don’t be afraid to reach out to reviewers and speak to them – most people will be more than happy to help.
Schedule a viewing
Once you have narrowed your search down to a few communities, it’s time to schedule a viewing. You should approach the viewing with questions in mind.
When considering a senior living community and apartment home, Brightview Senior Living in Bethesda suggests you answer the following questions: Is the layout designed to provide a safe living environment? Does the kitchen and community provide the amenities you will need? And, what kind of technology is offered, like WiFi to connect to the internet?
Speak with current residents
When you are visiting communities, see if it’s possible to speak with current residents to see what they think. More than this, you can pay attention to their body language to get a feel for how happy and comfortable they are.
Ask current residents what they enjoy the most about the community, and if they have had any problems since living there.
