The search for a senior living community is more than just a matter of real estate. A move to community living is a big decision, and you want to feel confident it aligns with your priorities and practical needs. With many factors to consider, a range of emotions surrounding the move, and a dizzying amount of input from online sources and family and friends, the search for the right community can easily feel overwhelming.
Fortunately, a thoughtful approach can make finding senior living options near you a manageable process and can empower you to make a confident, informed decision. Follow these seven steps to start your search.
Before you begin looking at communities, start by considering the priorities that should drive your search and help you compare your options.
Create a three-column chart for clarity with the following categories:
With your must-haves in mind, learn about different levels of living, including independent living, assisted living, memory care, and long-term care. Identify which of these options best fits your or your loved one’s needs, and consider looking for a community with a continuum of care if you want access to additional support, should those needs change in the future. Naming your ideal level of living can instantly help you narrow your search.
Beyond this essential starting point, use your chart to take note of key things that would make a community more appealing than your or your loved one’s current living situation. Maybe you’re looking for a community that offers fun social events, well-being and fitness opportunities, or beautiful natural surroundings. Maybe you want all three! It’s all up to you.
The chart you created will serve as a sort of checklist as you compare communities, but it may not fully capture all that matters to you. Take a moment to visualize how you want your days to look in your new home.
Think through your ideal day, including morning routines, midday engagement, and evening recreation. What sorts of planned experiences, culture, and atmosphere would best support your lifestyle?
Our routines tend to evolve with the seasons, so think through what a community campus would be like throughout the year. Are there indoor gathering spaces to enjoy year-round, outdoor amenities for warmer months, and transportation to help you arrive where you need to go during inclement weather?
“Location, location, location” is a truism for nearly anyone considering a move. Be sure to factor geography into your search from the beginning.
Clarify your geographic priorities. If you want to find senior living places nearby, consider what that actually means for you. Are you concerned about distance from family and friends, a church, a certain neighborhood? Or maybe you want to prioritize access to preferred hospitals and health care providers. Define a preferred radius for your search and a wider radius if you need to look a bit farther out.
As you search, avoid scattered Googling and scrolling through endless search result pages without focus. Instead, use targeted search terms such as “how to find assisted living options in my area,” “independent living communities in [city],” or “55+ communities in [ZIP code].” You can also use a location-based discovery hub to target your search more effectively, such as the Find a WesleyLife Community tool.
During your search, take into account the immediate local area of any community you’re considering, including the walkability and access to nearby parks, libraries, restaurants, and more. You can use online maps for context to see nearby businesses and traffic flow.
The financial aspect of senior living can feel daunting, but a clear understanding of senior living cost structures — and all that’s included in that cost — can quickly demystify this topic and help you find a community that fits your budget.
Because every community structures fees differently, be sure to understand the full picture of costs at each community and create a side-by-side chart for comparison. Take note of any upfront costs and monthly fees, and account for everything is included in those costs, such as utilities or meals.
To really understand the cost of community living, you should compare this comprehensive cost to the list of individual costs you or your loved one is currently paying. This may include, for example:
A community’s monthly fee can envelop all of these costs and more, making your budgeting much simpler and more predictable.
Use a Cost Calculator to compare the cost of senior living to your current expenses at home.
Some factors are a bit harder to quantify but are important nonetheless. Such is the case for a community’s culture.
Community culture is multi-faceted, including factors like resident engagement, team member interaction style, resident leadership opportunities, and the overall sense of belonging on campus. While a community’s philosophy can influence its culture, some aspects of culture tend to form more organically over time and are best experienced in person.
What’s your idea of positive culture? Consider the energy level you’d prefer: vibrant and active, relaxed and serene, or a mixed pace where you choose your level of involvement.
To learn about a community’s culture, you can:
A tour is one of the best ways to truly experience a community and envision what it would be like to live there.
Too many tours can make it difficult to remember each experience and can result in decision fatigue. On the other hand, too few tours can limit your perspective. Aim for the sweet spot of touring 3-5 communities, and ensure each of these communities meets your requirements for essential factors such as distance and levels of living.
Going into your tour with an idea of what to look for and a list of questions to ask can help you learn more and can help keep your comparisons objective. During your tour, take note of your first impressions and look for insights into the culture, quality of care, social environment, and any other factors that matter to you.
Use a Senior Living Community Evaluation Checklist to help you structure your thoughts.
Gathering information is an important phase. But once you’ve gathered that information, you need to sift through it and revisit it to make an informed decision. This is where having clearly organized notes on each community you’re considering becomes extremely helpful.
Keep internet sources organized by bookmarking strategically and labeling browser folders. For example, you may want to create folders for bookmarked pages or downloaded resources and organize them by community or by categories like pricing pages or floor plans.
If you’re collaborating with family members, consider sharing webpages you’ve bookmarked, notes you’ve taken, and any other relevant information you’ve gathered to aid in your decision-making. You may want to store these relevant files in a shared folder hosted on a cloud-based platform (like Google Drive or Dropbox) so everyone you invite can access it.
Finding the right senior living community can be an involved process, but if you take an intentional, structured approach, you can find a home where your or your loved one’s needs and preferences are fully supported.
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WesleyLife communities are all distinct while sharing a strong commitment to supporting the independence, health, and well-being of older adults. Take a moment to Find Your Perfect Senior Living Community, and come see what it looks like to pursue your joy in a WesleyLife community for healthy living!