Should I Tour a Senior Living Community?
The decision to move from your home into a senior living community may be a difficult one, but the difficulties can be eased by doing one simple thing: taking a tour. A tour is important no matter what type of senior living you’re looking for: independent living, assisted living, or memory care.
Generally, your initial process starts on the internet. You search various communities that specialize in either independent living, assisted living, or memory care. You view the website trying to get an idea of what life is like at that community and if it could be a good fit for you. As you can guess, a website can only offer a small glimpse of the atmosphere. You peak deeper into the website, searching for what activities are offered, a sample menu of the food, and suite floor plans. But words and pictures can only conjure up so much of what life is actually like when you’re living in the community.
How to Start the Tour Process
After you have done as much research as possible, and you’re ready to proceed, the next step is easy. Booking a tour on the website or via phone call can get you on the road to the perfect retirement. Booking online makes things really easy, but calling the community can offer even more.
When you call, the person you speak to will likely ask you some questions. They will want to know who you’re looking for, be it yourself or a family member, if you’re looking for independent living, assisted living, or memory care, and what kind of suite you may be interested in. Answering these questions for them can help better tailor the tour to you and exactly what you’re looking for. If assisted living is what you need, then you’ll probably get questions that pertain to what type of assistance is required. This is also a good time for you to ask any preliminary questions that you may have.
At Bonaventure Senior Living communities, our knowledgeable team will be able to easily assist you with any questions you may have, and are also the best people to set up a tour with.
In most cases, the person you speak to will be unable to give you an exact amount living at the community would cost. This is due to the many factors that go into a quote. Factoring in room size, meal plans, care plans, and more can make an over-the-phone quote near impossible.
Tips for Setting Up a Tour
- Ask if there are any big events at the community. If there are, try scheduling the tour then. This way, you’ll get to see how grand the community can be. It will also offer a lot of opportunities to meet residents and staff.
- Because the community could become your new home, you’ll want to know how good the food is. Ask if during the tour you can sample the food that is served. Bonaventure Senior Living will always treat you to lunch for just that reason. Those looking for independent living will likely have full kitchens in their suites. There are meal plans that can offer one, two, or three meals a day. Even though you may cook for yourself, you’ll still want to try the food. Those interested in assisted living or memory care do no typically have full kitchens, so it’s essential to sample the food.
What to Expect On the Tour
It’s the day of tour. You’re probably a mixture of nervous and excited. You may have a lot of questions as well. Make sure you prepare those questions so you don’t forget them.
A tour at Bonaventure Senior Living communities is a very relaxed, no-pressure situation. You’ll be met at the front entrance by the person you set the tour up with. After introductions, the tour will begin.
You can expect to see a model suite. This is a suite that will be fully furnished and give you an idea for what your suite will look like. Bonaventure Senior Living suites vary from square-footage, number of bedrooms, and other factors like independent living suites, assisted living suites, and memory care suites.
You will also be taken around the community to see all that is happening. This is where you’ll really want to pay attention. Look at the other residents, watch to see if they are enjoying themselves and also try and visualize if you would enjoy yourself. Bonaventure Senior Living communities have up to 16 Living Perfected activities per day, so there’s always something going on that you’ll enjoy being a part of. There’s also outings and trips to be a part of that you should ask about. Make sure to ask for a sample or current activity calendar to look at. This will give you a great idea of what happens during a typical month.
Eventually, be it when you first get there, sometime between the tour, or toward the end, you will have lunch, well, at least at Bonaventure Senior Living communities. We always treat you to a good lunch during you tour. We understand how important the food is to our residents. Our menu is loaded with daily specials, weekly specials, and an anytime favorites menu. There’s upwards of 18 choices every single day. Whether you’re in the mood for a fancy steak Diane or a simple hamburger. Maybe you want a nice chef salad or the catch of the day. Whatever you’re in the mood for, our menu has you covered.
At the end of the tour you’ll likely discuss a few more things in an office. These can include exactly what kind of care is needed. This information is especially important for those seeking assisted living or memory care. Our Memory Care is specifically tailored to each individual. We understand that those with dementia or other related cognitive impairments, like Alzheimer’s disease, need special care. That’s why informing the sales staff of what care is needed is vital.
You’ll also likely talk more about costs. Once all the relevant information has been gathered, a more accurate cost can be discussed. There are a lot of factors that go into a quote. There are no cookie-cutter quotes, because there are no cookie-cutter people. Everyone is different and everyone has different needs.
After the Tour
You leave the community and begin to process everything that happened. You now know exactly what type of care you need, independent living, assisted living, or memory care, and you know what the community is like, how good the food is, and what it’s going to cost.
Moving to the next step in the process is super easy: just let the community know. They’ll get all the paperwork ready and let you know what documents they need from you. Everything is done to make things easy for you. After all, it’s your retirement, why make things difficult?
Conclusion
Taking a tour of a community is vital to properly understanding how a community runs and if it’s right for you. If you would like to see a list of Bonaventure Senior Living communities, click HERE. Or, if you’re ready to schedule a tour, click HERE.
We wish you the best of luck in your retirement. Be well.
