Home > Pressroom > 2005 > 07
Indicates subscriber only content
CU Press Room
In this report
New to the Press room?
About the Press room
Press access
About Consumers Union
Mission
Impact
Our annual report
Board members
Awards won
Find a release



July 2005
send to a friend printable version

Consumer Reports Investigates Assisted Living

News media can reprint this information with the following credit line: Reprinted with permission of Consumer Reports, July 2005, www.ConsumerReports.org

How to Choose: 12 Steps to Finding the Right Assisted-Living Facility

You should start learning about assisted living when you notice a senior showing some signs of decline. Deciding early can be crucial because better residences often have long waiting lists. Here are the steps you should take:
  1. To find facilities, contact the local Area Agency on Aging office. The national Eldercare Locator can lead you to yours (800-677-1116, or www.eldercare.gov).
  2. Call your state’s long-term-care ombudsman. Ask whether there have been complaints about facilities on your list and how to obtain inspection reports.
  3. Meet with a geriatric-care manager. These pros are social workers, nurses, or gerontologists who can tell you about the facilities you’ve selected and how well they match your relative’s needs. For an initial assessment, expect to pay $300 to $800; subsequent hour-long sessions cost $100 to $150. Names are available on the Web site of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers www.caremanager.org).
  4. Tour the top choices. Don’t get carried away by the appeal of expensive-looking furnishings. Instead, look for senior-friendly furniture, check for grab bars in bathrooms and nonskid flooring in baths, and view occupied rooms to tell how thoroughly the staff cleans.
  5. Request the documents you need to help you make a decision.
  6. Ask residents and their visiting relatives how they like the food, the staff, and the activities, and what they like and don’t like.
  7. Observe what people are doing. Are they up and about or passively watching TV?
  8. Ask to meet with the administrator. The person in charge should care about those in his or her charge and also have the ability to run the facility efficiently.
  9. Ask how many employees are in the building during the day and in the evening. Find out about their training to see whether it corresponds to the needs of the prospective resident. Ask any residents who are sitting unattended whether they are waiting for help. Note the degree to which attendants talk to or spend time with residents.
  10. Visit unannounced. Stop by the facility two to three more times at different times of the day on different days of the week.
  11. If you are shopping for a relative, bring him or her on your visits. Stay for a meal and an activity. Consider having your relative stay overnight as a tryout.
  12. After a relative moves into assisted living, visit often to make sure there are no problems. Be honest with yourself and with your relative when it’s time to move to a nursing home. A geriatric-care manager can help with the decision.
“Consumer Reports Investigates Assisted Living” is available free at www.ConsumerReports.org, plus information on how to get state inspection surveys and complaint records.

JULY 2005
© Consumers Union 2005. The material above is intended for legitimate news entities only; it may not be used for commercial or promotional purposes. Consumer Reports® is published by Consumers Union, an expert, independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves. To achieve this mission, we test, inform, and protect. To maintain our independence and impartiality, CU accepts no outside advertising, no free test samples, and has no agenda other than the interests of consumers. CU supports itself through the sale of our information products and services, individual contributions, and a few noncommercial grants.