visiting assisted living facilities

M5M

Hopefully DH will be able to stay home through most of this journey, he is fully stage 5 and moving towards stage 6. I visited one memory care and want to see a few more, for "just in case." The first one, I made an appointment, DH is not aware of this and I don't plan to take him to any. But I'm wondering how a visit goes when you arrive unannounced? Is there a designated person who is able to stop whatever they are doing and offer a full hour or more discussion and tour? Obviously, experiences will vary, hoping for some thoughts here.

Palmetto Peg

I'm not sure any of the facilities would be happy to have you arrive without an appointment. The MC where my DH lives is clean, well-run, but not over-staffed by any stretch of the imagination. Expecting one of the senior staff to step away for an hour or so to show you around would be difficult, and you probably wouldn't get the best tour. I think you should make an appointment. I understand wanting to go in unannounced to see what really goes on, but there will always be a day or time when things are chaotic (someone falls, for instance) and that isn't the whole story, either. I imagine there are some facilities who would just turn you away and tell you to come back when you have an appointment. Just my two-cents! Good luck!

BPS

I made an appointment the first time and during the meeting I told them that I may have more questions so I may stop by again if I do. I felt like that gave them a chance to schedule time for a longer meeting but also left the option open to me just drop by. When I did come back knowing I may have to wait for someone to talk to it gave me a chance to watch what was happening when unannounced. I think most places understand the desire to the kind of care they provide.

Jazzma

You might want to schedule your visit at mealtime. They could offer you a meal, or you could spend some time observing how residents and staff interact with each other, what the food is like, whether staffing is sufficient, etc.

harshedbuzz

I toured a dozen places ahead of placing dad. The only one with which I made an appointment was the State VA Home; I dropped in on the rest.

You are going to be given the tour by their sales agent or some other person from the business side of the operation. You might need to wait if they're on lunch or assisting another family. I did have one instance where the sales agent wasn't able to give me a tour of the MCU because they had a new resident who was acting out. She did offer me a tour of their AL and the Dementia wing of the SNF. In my state, Medicaid doesn't pay for MC, so residents who spend down are transferred to a SNF.

Once I narrowed down my favorites, I did stop once or twice more at different times of day to observe meals and activities.

HB

M5M

Thanks to all, interesting ideas to consider as I move through this.

Lilydaisy

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/71745/visiting-assisted-living-facilities

I am about to begin visiting again. I did it for my mother many years ago; now for DW. Trying to get ahead of this.

I would suggest making appointments. It may allow for some preliminary questions over the phone to make your visit more efficient and focused on seeing and asking what you want. It can also help them be prepared for you with materials, documents etc. And they may suggest certain times of the day to come if you tell them what you are most interested in. There isn't much one person can do to change the way the facility operates, so surprising them probably makes no difference.

I realize one cannot always plan in advance when they will have 1-2 hours for a visit, so sometimes spur of the moment may be best.

SDianeL

I would make an appointment. Then narrow to 2-3 and drop by those later.before you make final decision. I only toured the top 3.

lenbury

As someone who has placed my wife 'too soon' I wish I would have had the opportunity to visit for 3-4 hours just observing the residents and interactions. I am not sure if that would have been permitted but it would have made it clear that my wife was not a good fit for the facility.

There was virtually no interaction between residents and no structured activities available. These were the primary factors that led me to the placement. It was clear after 12 days that bringing her home with help made sense. The facility itself was high end and the staff was great so the basic tour was not enough for a though vetting.

Joe C.

The MC my wife is in has a sign outside inviting to, “Stop in and Tour Today” so I would assume they would make some available. I placed my wife during COVID so this drop in visit was not an option at the time.

M5M

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/233683#Comment_233683

Good thought….there is a facility nearby that has that same sign, although it is not memory care. But the idea is appealing, there are pros and cons for each way.

CampCarol

I’ve toured 6 facilities so for DH, and I’ve never made an appointment. I was accommodated at all but one. There, I was still given a tour, but it wasn’t by anybody in Sales or Client Service. As such, she wasn’t able to answer 100% of my questions. It was enough to know I wanted to see more, so I made an appointment for a second visit. I’ve narrowed down to 2 now and am on my 3rd visit each. There might even be a fourth visit. My list of criteria and questions is extensive and I refuse to settle if I can possibly avoid it.