You Might Want to Focus on These Three Things When Touring an Assisted Living Facility

January 21, 2019 by ·

It’s highly advisable to go on a tour before buying into any property or signing a lease for an apartment, office facility, or other significant investment. When an aging senior considers assisted living, doing so sight unseen is not advisable. That’s why many of the better, higher quality assisted living facilities provide tour opportunities for prospective residents and some of their family.

Assisted Living in Daphne AL: Taking a Tour

Assisted Living in Daphne AL: Taking a Tour

Take advantage of these tours.

They will usually be provided at designated times during the week. Most commonly they might take place on the weekends as to avoid interfering with the comfort of the residents already living there.

When you to take advantage of a tour at assisted living, be sure to focus on various components, including these three things.

Cleanliness.

How clean is the facility? It’s one thing for a company to spend an inordinate amount of time keeping the floor polished, the front windows spotless, and the furniture looking perfect around the lobby, but what about the rest of the facility?

Don’t expect perfection, but make note if you see garbage lying around, if there are dirty wrappers, empty bottles, or other junk you wouldn’t expect to find in the hallways, in the entertainment room, dining facility, and so on.

Friendliness of staff.

How welcoming are the staff, and this isn’t simply referring to those putting on the tour, but others working throughout the facility. Be observant. You will see staff members walking around, likely helping some of the residents, and even offering advice to those who need it.

Take a moment to listen to a conversation or ask a staff member a simple quick question. How do they respond to you? This can tell a lot about how people act while working at one of these facilities.

The dining facility.

Is it like a cafeteria that you remember from your high school days? Or is it more like a restaurant? The more comfortable the dining facility, the more comfortable the residents. Also ask to see the menu. If a menu offers plenty of options, that can bode well for those men and women who move into this facility.

Keep in mind that most conversations take place over a nice, healthy, well prepared meal. If an elderly resident spends any amount of time in the dining facility, he or she will most likely begin to meet others, even if they have difficulty doing so on their own.

When you focus on these things, you will find an assisted living facility that’s right for you or someone you care about.

If you or an aging loved one are considering assisted living in Daphne, AL, contact Ashbury Manor Specialty Care and Assisted Living at 251-317-3017.

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About Cindy Johnson

Ashbury Manor’s Administrator since 2008, Cindy Johnson is a long-time expert in the assisted living field. Prior to her arrival at Ashbury Manor, Cindy managed acquisitions and crisis management for existing and new larger senior care project developments for eleven years. As regional manager for an Oregon-based assisted living management company, Cindy was directly responsible for operations for five 50-65 bed assisted living facilities. As manager during the transition to new ownership, Cindy reorganized internal operations and conducted leadership training for Executive Directors. As a result of her management and expertise, one of the company’s facilities (in Ocala, Florida) received a deficiency-free survey, resulting in the lifting of a moratorium on operation.

A nurse for 36 years, senior care has always been Cindy’s passion. Desiring to work more closely with residents, Cindy became a Category II Administrator in 2005. As Ashbury Manor’s Administrator, Cindy understands the complexities associated with dementia and cognitive impairment and she has fallen in love with seniors with dementia or cognitive impairment and their families.

Cindy is Treasurer of the local “Senior Coalition” chapter. She enjoys mentoring new candidates who want to become administrators.

As a 16-bed facility, with Cindy's training and experience, our residents and their families can be sure Ashbury Manor’s carefully selected staff provides the expertise of a larger facility while maintaining the individualized personal care of a small special needs home.
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