What to Consider When Considering an Assisted Living Facility

So, you’ve asked yourself the hard and honest questions. You’ve spoken to family, friends, and physicians. And you’ve made the decision to look into different care facilities. Now, you have to figure out which facility is right for you. How do you make that determination? We have covered the financial aspects of this question elsewhere. In this article, we want to help you think through how to assess your next home.

We recommend you begin by making a list of priorities. What’s important to you? Some things to consider are size, location, amenities, or programs. Make a list of the places that stood out to you, and chart which facilities have the things you require or prefer. As you do your research, you’ll likely find that some “priorities” are secondary, while others are primary.

While everyone’s timeline is different, we want to encourage you not to rush the search process. Moving is difficult, and you want to make sure you’re moving into a place you can call home. Start with facility websites. Take notes about the things you like or don’t like. If you have questions, call the facility. Once you have a list of potential places, go to visit them.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If something is important to you but is not listed on the website, ask about it. A good facility should be happy to answer your questions and will answer you honestly.

When you’re at a facility, look for the cleanliness and upkeep of the facility. Ask to see a typical menu, if one is not available online. Take note of the general atmosphere: do the residents seem happy? Consider room sizes and floor plans – especially if you struggle with mobility issues or incontinence. What does the facility provide? What are you required or able to bring?

We suggest that you think about your next living arrangements under 4 “C”s: care, comfort, companionship, and congeniality.

“Care” is a common word in adult living facilities. Often, it refers to a particular kind or level of “care,” and that is certainly a good point to consider. But we encourage you to ask not only what kind of care a facility offers, but also, “How much does this facility care about me? And how do they show it?” Every facility offers “care.” But do they care? Do they care about more than filling rooms? Do they care if you are unhappy or disconnected?

At Alva Senior Living, we won’t merely offer care; we will show our residents that we care. Our founders share the Christian faith and so have a deep respect for every resident, as every resident is made in the image of God. They are being very deliberate in delivering the highest quality in architecture, amenities, cuisine, and employees because every choice impacts every resident. So Alva Senior Living is striving to hire the best in the business. By “best,” we mean more than skill. We mean employees who treat residents with the kind of attention and respect that the residents and their family would want. Our commitment to you is that we will care for the whole person: the body, the mind, and the soul.

“Comfort” is closely related to “care.” You have spent much of your life making your home a comfortable and a comforting place. Now, it’s our turn to give you the kind and quality of comfort that you gave to others. Comfort is about more than room and board. It’s a quality built into the founding principles of a facility. It’s not just about what looks good on a website, but what is good for you as the resident. You should be asking not only, “Is the facility comfortable,” but also, “Will the facility comfort me as I transition from my old home to this new one? Will it make me feel at ease?” Leaving behind a family home or decades-long way of living is not easy. You want to be sure that your new home will not only be a transitional place, but a place that will help you make the transition.

At Alva Senior Living, we have determined to be a comfortable place and a comforting place. We will handle the cooking, cleaning, and maintenance. We will have CNAs on the grounds to help with medication management, should you require it, and people to help with scheduling appointments and transportation. We want to see our residents not only “residing,” but really living fuller and healthier lives, because a better life is the goal.

“Companionship” is a necessary and enriching part of life. But for seniors, companionship is often hard to come by. In many cases, an individual has been widowed, or is the last surviving sibling or member of a group. The elderly often find it difficult to make new friends, and feel lonely or isolated. Without the kind of companionship that yields healthy conversation and interaction, your health begins to decline. An adult living facility can offer the kind of companionship that you might otherwise lack. Good living facilities don’t just provide a place to live; they provide a place in which people can share their lives – people who have similar experiences and similar interests.

At Alva Senior Living, our community will be just that, a community. Our grounds are big enough to offer space, but small enough that you won’t get lost – inside or outside. The number of residents is small enough to be intimate and to afford privacy to our residents, but large enough to ensure that you will have praying, walking, dining, or dancing partners.

“Congeniality” refers to the number of compatibility points between you and your new home. This final category brings your priority list back into consideration. If you have ascertained that a particular facility offers the above-mentioned “care,” “comfort,” and “companionship,” then you’ve already found some ground for congeniality. But you will need to consider other factors as well. Location is an important issue. If you want a quiet environment, you’ll want to find a facility in a more rural place. If you want to be outside and enjoy walking, gardening, or just sitting in the sun, then you’ll want to consider places that afford you that opportunity. If you are looking for a homey place, you’ll want to note whether the facility feels like home or like a sterile institution. If you prefer to eat meals at home, then make sure the menu and quality of food are to your liking.

At Alva, we will offer our residents a peaceful, rural location. We will do our best to make sure that the environment is personal and personable, rather than institutional. We’ll nurture the body with good and healthy food, and we’ll nurture the soul with an emphasis on faith.

No single facility is the right match for every person. In fact, probably no facility checks every box you have. We encourage you to read our About, Services, and Facilities pages to see if we would be a match for you.

Ultimately, we want you to make the best decision because the more you like your new home, the happier you’ll be. If you think Alva Senior Living Facility meets your needs, we will be pleased to show you around when it’s completed and show you what “living” could look like. Our hope is that wherever you go, you can say, “This feels like coming home.”