Seniors For Living

Your family has nominated you to find a senior living community for Mom and Dad, who have no interest in moving at all. (Read Starting a Conversation About Senior Care for help on bringing up the subject.)

Even though your parents may not want to discuss such a change, you shouldn’t start researching communities without knowing what they want. Ask your parents to make a list of their preferences. Do they want a large community or a cozier, close-knit one? Rural or suburban? Apartment, condo, or a small cottage? Lots of planned activities and outings?

Another way to narrow things down is based on the type of care they need or may need in the future. The latter becomes somewhat of a guessing game, but if either is at risk for dementia or one is already in the early stages, you may want to look at a continuing care community where the ability to transition into a different level of care is an option should the need arise.

From there, you can further search for senior housing and care options on the web (you can start right here at SeniorsforLiving.com). Choose a few communities that stand out and make appointments to tour the facilities in person at least once before making a final decision. Ultimately, it comes down to what your parents want and what they can afford, so make sure they have the final say.