August

Most of us would agree that there’s no place like home, and the comforts, convenience, and pleasant environment of home can continue when someone decides to move to assisted living accommodations. Helping aging parents find a residential situation that offers this kind of gracious living requires a little research, but it can be done.

Here are some important observations to make and questions to ask yourself and/or staff when you're helping loved ones find assisted living:

• Is the assisted living facility in a safe, residential neighborhood?
• Is the décor homelike, with comfortable furnishings and pleasant common areas?
• Are there outdoor areas and landscaping?
• Do residents have privacy and the ability to come and go as they wish?
• Can residents have guests whenever they wish?