Aging Gracefully: 7 Questions to Ask Yourself to Choose the Best Senior Living Option

People turning 65 have a 70 percent chance of needing long-term care or support. There are more than 22,000 senior living properties in the U.S. With so many options. You can find the best choice for your needs.

Choose the Best Senior Living Option

Just because you need elderly care doesn’t mean you’re done living. If it’s time to choose a senior living option, check out the seven questions you should ask.

1. How Much Can You Afford?

Senior living can be expensive, and knowing what you can afford is the first step before finding any kind of care.

The average assisted living facility in the U.S. costs around $48,000 a year, while a semi-private nursing home run averages $89,000 annually. These costs include your living expenses, like your room, meals, and other services.

You can determine what you can afford by figuring out how much it will cost to stay in your home. Even if your mortgage is paid off, you may still have to make renovations to stay in your house. You must also consider other costs like groceries, entertainment, taxes, utilities, and entertainment.

You will also have to figure out medical or in-home health care expenses. You can break each of these down monthly to see how they compare. Of course, the above averages vary greatly depending on where you live and if you want a facility in the city versus a more rural area.

Now it’s time to look at your financial resources. You need a budget to determine what you can afford monthly and look at facilities within your budget.

2. How Much Care Do You Need?

Now you need to think about what services and care you need. There are various options depending on the amount of care you need. Here are some general definitions of senior living options based on care.

Independent senior living and active adult communities are great options if you want to avoid the burden of homeownership but don’t need a lot of care. If you can take complete care of yourself, these communities maintain your housing and offer activities to make friends, so you can enjoy worry-free living.

Assisted living communities offer some assistance with daily activities. These facilities help seniors live more independently but also help with bathing, medication management, and other grooming activities.

Assisted living facilities are a great option for those who just need a small amount of care or have mobility issues that make it difficult to live at home.

Skilled nursing facilities provide continuous care for health issues that are more complex and not manageable at home or even at an assisted living facility. Skilled nursing facilities provide round-the-clock medical care.

3. What Is the Continuum of Available Medical Care?

You should ask each senior care facility how they care for all your needs now and in the future. This includes cognitive and emotional needs.

You should ask the facility if you will need to move to another location if your needs change. Also, you want to determine what daily needs these facilities help with and medication management.

4. What Are the Accommodations Like?

You will be living here, so you want to ensure you are comfortable. Check all the living quarters and find out how much privacy you get. You should also find out what you can bring to this facility to make it feel like home.

What is the facility’s visitation policy? You should know how often you will be checked on. You want to make sure you feel comfortable and safe.

Most communities have a range of living arrangements in multiple sizes and locations. Make sure you can tour a layout that is the same as what you need.

Get measurements, so you can confirm all of your belongings fit comfortably, which means you will have to learn how to eliminate clutter in a smaller place.

Do you have to pay for additional utilities like internet, cable, or emergency call systems? Read more on how to make this living transition easier and things you should consider.

5. Food Options

Senior living facilities will do the work for you if you are excited about skipping cooking.

These senior living facilities only offered meals at certain times back in the day, but now some communities offer all-day dining services to fit your hunger cycle. Be sure you sample the food on your visit.

Some senior communities also have various venues like cafes, pubs, and formal dining centers. If you have several meal options, you do not get so bored with the average meal.

If you have special dietary needs like low-sodium or vegetarian, ask how the community can accommodate your diet restrictions.

You should also ensure the food staff works with a nutritionist to help prepare balanced, healthy meals.

6. What Activities are Available?

No one wants to be bored, so seniors often look to move out of their homes. Some seniors can’t drive, so having activities to socialize without driving is very appealing.

Find out what activities the senior living community offers both on-site and off-site. You want to make sure there are options you enjoy. You are never too old to learn, play, and socialize.

7. What About Transportation?

If you want to go somewhere, do you need a car or is there transportation available? Most communities offer transportation within a certain radius.

Regular transportation for religious services, doctor visits, or other community outings like a museum, theater, or restaurant may also be regularly scheduled. Check if there are any additional fees.

Deciding on Your Senior Living Option

There is a lot to consider when deciding on a senior living option. First, be sure you do your research, which you have started by reading this article.

Before visiting facilities, set goals for your daily life expectations and what you want from a living facility. Also, talk to your doctor and see if they think you need additional medical care. You should also speak to your financial planner to determine if you can afford your options comfortably.

It’s time to live your life to its fullest. Check out our site for other advice to enjoy your senior years, like this article on science-backed old health tips.


Diana Muniz
Diana Muniz

With over 20+ years of experience in a variety of corporate and entrepreneurial environments, Diana has developed a great understanding of Marketing Strategy, Brand Development, Customer Success, Public Relations and Management. Her internal drive for developing others and external brands, has allowed her to work in some of the largest cities in the world including Milan, Paris, NY, Mexico, and the Middle East. This experience has been fundamental to Diana’s success and ability to communicate cross-culturally.

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