When you're starting to approach the age or stage in which you're enticed by the idea of living in a retirement community, it's ideal to begin the process by visiting several facilities in your community. These visits can give you an opportunity to speak with staff and residents, enjoy a meal in the dining room and tour the inside and outside of the home. While you'll get a chance to have your questions asked, it can be helpful to simply keep your eyes and ears open to help you evaluate which home is the right fit for you. As you tour the retirement community, here are three things to notice.
Residents' Happiness
Discussions with staff and the receipt of pamphlets can provide you with plenty of information, but actually observing the residents during your visit can be highly telling. Try to gauge the residents' happiness by noting how many of them are smiling, how they're interacting with each other and staff and even how they greet you. You want to see that the residents are clearly enjoying staying at the retirement community and that they've built warm relationships with staff -- in particular, listen for staff and residents greeting each other warmly by their first names.
Safety Features
You want to choose a retirement home that offers a wide range of safety features but still has a home-like feel. As you tour the premises, keep an eye out for safety features such as grab bars in the washrooms, railings along corridors and non-stick coating on the floor around doors. You can also note whether each room has a fire alarm and sprinkler, if windows have locks on them and if the grounds outside are easy to navigate with no tripping hazards.
Cleanliness
The overall cleanliness of a retirement community can indicate the staff's level of care and augment the residents' quality of life. Make sure to be vigilant about noticing how clean the facility is -- in particular, note the cleanliness of the dining area, residents' rooms that you're able to visit and the common areas. Keep an eye on subtle things such as if the baseboards are dusty or dirty; if they're clean, it's often a sign that the home is cleaned meticulously. You should also evaluate how the home smells -- you want to notice a neutral, fresh smell that suggests the home is cleaned regularly and the windows are often opened to provide fresh air.
