25 Questions to Ask When Touring a Senior Care Facility
Essential questions organized by category — care, staffing, safety, cost, and social life — to ask during every facility tour.
A facility tour is part sales pitch, part fact-finding mission. The sales director will walk you through the prettiest hallways, introduce you to the friendliest staff member, and show you the dining room right after it has been cleaned. That is their job.
Your job is to ask questions that cut through the presentation and reveal what daily life actually looks like. These 25 questions — organized by category — are designed to do exactly that. Print this list and bring it with you.
Care Quality (Questions 1-7)
1. “How do you develop an individualized care plan, and how often is it reviewed?”
Why it matters: A good facility assesses each resident and creates a written care plan within the first few weeks. It should be reviewed at least quarterly — and updated any time there is a significant change in condition. If the answer is vague (“We just take great care of everyone”), that is a yellow flag.
2. “What happens when my parent’s care needs increase?”
Why it matters: This is the question families wish they had asked earlier. Some facilities can accommodate increasing needs by adding services. Others will require your parent to transfer to a higher level of care — meaning another move, another adjustment, another upheaval. Know the limits upfront.
3. “How do you handle medication management?”
Why it matters: Medication errors are among the most common findings in inspection data. You want to know: Who administers medications? Are they a nurse or a trained caregiver? What safeguards are in place to prevent missed doses or wrong medications? Is there a pharmacist review?
4. “What is your protocol for medical emergencies?”
Why it matters: At 2 AM when your parent is having chest pain, what happens? Is there a nurse on site, or does a caregiver call 911 and wait? Does the facility have a relationship with a nearby hospital? How are families notified?
5. “Can you describe a typical day for a resident at my parent’s care level?”
Why it matters: This tells you more about the actual experience than any brochure. Listen for structure (meals, activities, rest), flexibility (can residents follow their own schedule?), and genuine engagement versus warehousing.
6. “How do you accommodate dietary needs and preferences?”
Why it matters: Nutrition is foundational to health in older adults. Can they handle diabetic diets, low-sodium, pureed foods, or cultural dietary requirements? Do residents have any choice in meals, or is it one menu for everyone?
7. “How are families kept informed about changes in condition?”
Why it matters: You want proactive communication, not a call only when something goes wrong. Good facilities have a system: a primary contact for each family, regular updates, and clear protocols for when and how to notify families of changes.
Staffing (Questions 8-13)
8. “What are the staff-to-resident ratios on each shift?”
Why it matters: This is arguably the most important question on this list. Staffing levels directly correlate with care quality. Ask separately about day shift, evening shift, night shift, and weekends. Night and weekend staffing is almost always lower — you want to know how much lower.
9. “What is your annual staff turnover rate?”
Why it matters: The national average for assisted living is 40 to 60 percent. High turnover means your parent is constantly adjusting to new caregivers who do not know their preferences, routines, or medical history. A turnover rate below 30 percent is a strong positive signal.
10. “Are there licensed nurses on staff? If so, how many hours per day?”
Why it matters: Assisted living facilities are not required to have nurses in most states. Some have an RN on site during business hours; others rely entirely on trained caregivers. If your parent has any medical complexity, a nurse on staff is important.
11. “What training do caregivers receive, and how often?”
Why it matters: State minimums for caregiver training are shockingly low in some states — as few as 12 hours. Good facilities exceed minimums significantly and provide ongoing training in areas like dementia care, fall prevention, and emergency response.
12. “How are staff screened before hiring?”
Why it matters: Criminal background checks should be mandatory and thorough. Criminal record violations appear in inspection data more often than families expect. Ask about the specific background check process, not just whether they “do background checks.”
13. “Who is on site overnight?”
Why it matters: Some facilities have awake staff 24 hours. Others have staff who sleep on site and are available “if needed.” The difference is significant, especially for residents who need assistance at night or are at risk for falls.
Safety and Inspections (Questions 14-18)
14. “Can I see your most recent state inspection report?”
Why it matters: This is public information — any facility that resists sharing it is raising a red flag. Their willingness (or reluctance) to discuss findings openly is itself a data point. You can also look up reports independently through your state’s licensing agency or tools like CareLookout.
15. “What corrective actions did you take after your most recent citations?”
Why it matters: Every facility gets cited for something eventually. What matters is how they respond. Did they implement systemic changes, or did they file a “plan of correction” and go back to business as usual? Ask for specifics.
16. “What is your fall prevention program?”
Why it matters: Falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults. A good facility has a documented fall prevention protocol: risk assessments, environmental modifications (grab bars, non-slip flooring, adequate lighting), and a response plan for when falls occur.
17. “How do you handle allegations of abuse or neglect?”
Why it matters: The answer should be immediate, specific, and involve mandatory reporting. Any hesitation, vagueness, or suggestion that they “handle things internally” is a serious concern. State law requires reporting of suspected abuse — the facility should say so clearly.
18. “Is the facility secured, and how do you prevent elopement?”
Why it matters: Even in non-memory-care settings, some residents are at risk of wandering. Ask about door alarms, wander-guard systems, and how staff respond when a resident is unaccounted for.
Cost and Contracts (Questions 19-22)
19. “Can I get a written estimate based on my parent’s specific needs — not just the base rate?”
Why it matters: The base rate is the starting point, not the total cost. Care level surcharges, medication management, incontinence care, and other add-ons can increase the monthly cost by $1,000 to $2,500. You need the real number.
20. “How often do rates increase, and what has the historical increase been?”
Why it matters: Most facilities raise rates annually. Industry average increases have been 3 to 8 percent per year in recent years, with some facilities raising rates more aggressively. A facility charging $5,000 today at 5 percent annual increases will cost $5,788 in three years.
21. “What is your refund policy if my parent moves out or passes away?”
Why it matters: Some facilities require 30 days’ notice and charge for that period regardless. Others prorate. The community fee (move-in fee) is often non-refundable. Understand the financial terms before signing.
22. “Do you accept Medicaid? If so, what does that transition look like?”
Why it matters: If your parent may eventually need Medicaid to cover costs, this question is essential. Many assisted living facilities do not accept Medicaid. Those that do may have limited Medicaid beds, and the process for transitioning from private pay to Medicaid varies significantly.
Social Life and Daily Experience (Questions 23-25)
23. “Can I see this month’s activity calendar? Can I attend an activity today?”
Why it matters: Ask to see it, not hear about it. A real activities program has specific events, times, and locations listed. Even better — ask to sit in on an activity during your tour. Watch whether residents are genuinely engaged or just physically present.
24. “How do you support residents who are introverted or less social?”
Why it matters: Not every senior wants group bingo. Good facilities recognize different social needs and offer one-on-one engagement, quiet spaces, and flexibility in participation. If the answer is “We encourage everyone to join activities,” ask how they handle residents who consistently decline.
25. “Can my parent have visitors at any time? Are there any restrictions?”
Why it matters: Open visitation policies are a sign of a facility that welcomes family involvement. Restrictions beyond reasonable quiet hours (such as limiting visits to certain times or requiring advance notice) may indicate that the facility does not want families seeing what happens during off-hours.
How to Use These Questions
You will not get through all 25 in a single tour. Prioritize based on your parent’s situation:
- If your parent has medical complexity: Lead with questions 3, 4, 10, and 13
- If cost is your primary concern: Start with 19, 20, 21, and 22
- If you are worried about safety: Focus on 14, 15, 16, and 17
- If your parent’s happiness is your top priority: Begin with 5, 23, 24, and 25
After the tour, write down what you observed and the answers you received while they are fresh. Compare notes across facilities. The patterns will emerge quickly — some facilities will answer every question openly and confidently, while others will deflect, generalize, or change the subject.
The way a facility responds to hard questions tells you as much as the answers themselves.
Look up any facility’s inspection history before your tour — check for red flags, trends, and AI-analyzed findings free on CareLookout.