On the hunt for the ideal place to spend your golden years? This article will help. Searching for senior apartments in Venice, FL can be an exciting yet overwhelming experience. If you’ve started your search, you’ll likely have gone through a stack of brochures or trawled through countless websites. The options are endless, and it can be tough to make a choice that’s right for you! That’s why we’ve put together a handy step-by-step guide to help you find the perfect living community for you.
Read the Reviews
The Internet can be a bit tricky when it comes to assessing reviews. While star ratings provide good access points, they should not be taken at face value. Take some time to read through the reviews left by residents across various sites, as well as the community’s social media. While you shouldn’t make your decision on reviews alone, reviews do provide a helpful starting point. This is especially true if you live in a location with multiple retirement community options. Going through the reviews can help you whittle down your choices.
So, what should you keep an eye out for when it comes to spotting a potential retirement community? Take note of the following when making your rounds:
- Appreciative anecdotes relating to the community and its team
- Generally positive reviews
- Success stories of residents
Schedule a Tour
Once you’ve narrowed down your list, you should head down to the community yourself to get the feel for it. While pictures may provide one perspective, spending time there provides priceless insight. This is going to be the place where you spend your golden years, so you want to make sure that you get it right. Just as you would want to take a look at a house before you buy it, you want to spend some time in the retirement community before you can be sure that you’d like to live there. Here are some encouraging signs that the community will be right for you:
- A welcoming atmosphere
- Lots of interaction between residents
- Warm interactions between the team and residents
- A generally convivial atmosphere, full of laughter and activity
- Cleanliness and an organized space
Connect with People
While on your tour, take your time and speak to the residents, any visiting family members, and the community team. You can even consider staying for a meal to get a feel for the atmosphere of the space. You might even want to get in touch with some of the residents – or their family members – offsite, so that you can speak freely, without any reservations.
Have the Facts
You’ll want to know all you can about the community that you’re moving into. It’s important to be updated on any relevant state or national regulatory findings on the community you’ve got your eye on. Inquire about any award-winning programs that are available in the community, and look out to see if they’ve won any community-wide awards. Don’t just reach out to the community, either – non-biased parties such as local community centers should be up-to-date with this information. Here’s what you should look out for:
- State and national recognition or accreditation
- Community involvement
- Excellent programs
- State surveys, especially on any deficiencies
