A short and to the point list of questions to ask when visiting an assisted living.

1.)  How far will my loved one have to walk to get to the dining room? 

• What if he/she is too tired to come for dinner or lunch will the food be brought to his/her bedroom? Is there any charge?
• What if he/she is sick and cannot come to the dining room?   Can exceptions be made?

2.)  Will anyone make sure that my loved one is regularly coming out of his/her room and spending time enjoying the activities?

• How will you encourage my loved one to participate in daily activities?  

3.)  What levels of care do you accept?  

• Where will my loved one go if he/she is beyond your level of care?
• What if my loved one was to have an incontinent episode and does not tell an employee?  Are they able and trained to handle this situation in a respectable manner in order to help my loved one get cleaned in a dignified manner?  What are the additional fees for this?
• If my loved one needs help with bathing, will this be done on an as needed basis or do they have to wait until bath day?
• Normally my loved one is very neat and clean however; because he/she sometimes forgets, he/she may need house cleaning on a daily basis.  Can his/her room be cleaned daily and the bed made each day, or will he/she have to wait until the day this is normally done?  Any additional fees?

 4.)  Is medication monitored or administered by a certified medicine aide?  Any additional fees for this service?

 5.)  A Service Plan is a tool that explains the services that my loved one is entitled to and is required by the State of Maryland.  Since the plan is to be updated 2x/ year as required by the State, do I have to pay for this updating each time? 

6.)  Are trips to and from the doctor’s covered or must I pay per trip?  Is mileage and time included in this fee?  Will an aide accompany my loved one while he/she is seeing the doctor?  Any additional fees?

7.)  What is the resident:aide ratio?

8.)  What if my loved one runs out of money?   Do you accept any subsidies or will he/she be taken out of the facility?

9.)  What is the name and phone number of the person I can contact if I have a concern or question?  Are they available at anytime?

10.)  Do you charge a deposit?  How much?  Is it non-refundable?

11.)  May I see the last inspection report by the Department of Aging?

 12.)  If my loved one begins to show signs of dementia, will you automatically place him/her in a locked Alzheimer's unit?

• What if my loved one is not a wandering risk?  Will he/she still be in a locked unit?
• Will he/she be with a population that may be much worse off then him/her?
• Will I, as an involved family member, have any input as to his/her ability to stay, or will he/she be forced to move again to another unit?
• Is there an additional charge for this type of unit?

13.)  If my loved one has to go to the hospital will he/she be allowed to come back?  Under what circumstances will you not take him/her back?  How often do you refuse to re-admit residents? 

• Will my loved one be charged a re-assessment fee every time he/she goes to the hospital?