If you or a loved one are considering moving into a retirement community in The Woodlands, TX, you may need some answers before making the big step. When assessing the overall suitability of a potential retirement community, seniors and family often prioritize food, amenities, care, and service. However, there may be other crucial health and safety elements to keep an eye out for.
Before making a selection, it is critical to learn everything there is to know about the retirement community you are considering, and there are a few key questions you should ask. Continue reading to learn about the top six questions to ask when choosing a retirement community.
What Amenities and Activities are Provided by the Retirement Community?
Staying active and involved is essential for the health and happiness of seniors. You will want to know that you or your loved one will have plenty of activities to occupy their day at a retirement community. Inquire about the amenities and activities available, bearing in mind if there is a diverse selection. At Conservatory Senior Living, our games room, arts and crafts studio, fitness and wellness center and many other amenities allow residents to engage in the activities they love everyday.
How Does the Retirement Community Recruit their Staff Members?
The staff at a retirement community play an important role in the overall experience. While certain factors, such as years of experience, can be quantified, factors such as empathy, attentiveness, friendliness and trustworthiness are more significant. You may also want to ask the average tenure of staff members at the community. As staff members are closely involved with the daily activities within the community, residents are likely to form deep bonds and relationships with them over time.
What Happens When a Resident’s Needs Change at the Retirement Community?
As difficult as it can be to talk about, this is an important question to ask. Independent senior living is targeted at seniors who require minimal to no assistance with their daily activities, while assisted living and care amenities are targeted at seniors who require more assistance. What happens if a resident develops a condition that necessitates a higher level of assistance with daily living, or even medical supervision? Will they have to leave the community and seek other living options, or can arrangements be made within the community? This is something you absolutely must clarify before making the decision to move to any retirement community.
What Type of Emergency Procedures and Safety Protocols Are in Place to Protect Residents?
Indeed, the rigorous cleaning and sanitizing procedures that are presently used at the community level are excellent for maintaining the safe levels required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This, together with the knowledge that extensive safeguards and preventative measures are being taken, offers seniors and families tremendous peace of mind, whether in tough times like today or in their regular life.
However, surface cleaning is simply the beginning. Other advanced precautions, such as coordinated team and resource response to threats such as infectious diseases, and, as we will shortly examine in depth, their communication strategy, all contribute to a comprehensive and well-planned program. These are the demands that seniors and families should raise at a time when COVID-19 has shown us that the unexpected may happen, and that both individuals and communities must be alert and well-prepared in terms of health and safety.
Can the Retirement Community Provide Daily Access to Food and Healthcare Products?
Empty supermarket shelves observed in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic immediately restored the public’s appreciation for many important commodities, such as food, health products, and other essentials, to which we had previously given less regard.
The widespread use of stay-at-home orders, in fact, served to highlight the importance of a retirement community setting, where seniors’ daily requirements may be met right at home without the need for frequent or even unnecessary shopping and/or pharmacy excursions. The availability of regular meals increases the usefulness and utility even further.
When evaluating communities, the message is to value a retirement community’s capacity to provide a high quality of life in good times while also ensuring its ability to maintain that lifestyle in the face of external challenges. National and corporate purchasing power may be used to assure daily access to food and supplies, as well as high-demand medical goods. In addition, with the availability of technology and concierge-level service, residents can receive assistance procuring important consumer and medical products online or over the phone and arranging for their delivery right to the community, as is currently being done to keep residents safe and protected from the spread of COVID-19.
How is the Retirement Community’s Communication Protocol?
The current state of affairs demonstrates that the public now needs more timely and trustworthy information than ever before, particularly in concerns of safety and health. This means that no emergency plans are complete without a clear and effective communication protocol.
Companies of all sizes are using conventional and digital techniques to communicate information to consumers and concerned citizens in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Retirement communities are likewise following suit, by doing the same for residents and their loved ones.
At a time when outside visitation is almost universally prohibited, families are left to rely on retirement communities for news, information, and regular updates regarding the state of their loved ones, the community, and what’s being done to preserve and safeguard wellbeing. Just as you would inquire about processes and procedures and expect a detailed protocol, it is perfectly acceptable to demand the same when it comes to communication and information sharing. Only the best and most prepared communities will be able to deliver clear communication protocols.
Each of these individual factors, like emergency procedures as a whole, would have been simple to overlook in the past, but the introduction of COVID-19 and the reality of living life in spite of it has recently changed people’s thinking. Remember to ask the following questions when analyzing potential retirement communities for improved decision-making, as they should reveal a lot about the community’s capacity to offer not only lifestyle quality, but also sustainability, especially in genuinely unusual times like today.
Enjoy an Engaging Residential Life at Conservatory
Are you looking for senior living options in Texas? With five locations to choose from, Conservatory’s independent senior living option has a lot to offer potential residents.
We place a great importance on providing our residents with a maintenance-free and exciting lifestyle. At Conservatory Senior Living, stylish apartment houses, gourmet meals, and a multitude of amenities such as arts and crafts studios add to a richer and more delightful way of life. With regularly scheduled outings, night movies, and a variety of exciting events, you can be sure to stay active and engaged by participating in things you love.
Get in touch with Conservatory right away to learn more about our retirement community!
