Trying to Find Retirement Homes in Grapevine, TX? Here’s What to Look for!

Family advisors are experts in senior care and can find senior living communities all over the country. Sometimes this service is free to seniors and their families and it’s a great place to start.

Advisors of trusted senior living communities will even let you know if you are missing out on any benefits, like Veterans Benefits.

Senior care ranges from Independent Living Communities for active seniors to Assisted Living Communities with varying degrees of care, to Memory Care Communities and more. Depending on the level of care, there are different types of communities and amenities. Whether you have a family advisor or not, you need to ask these questions to narrow down your search and find the best communities possible for your loved one.

Retirement homes range in price from affordable to very expensive. Establish a realistic price point for you based on your resources to avoid frustration and disappointment in the future. Take a look at all your options for paying for senior living, including:

• Family contributions
• Life insurance
• Local government programs
• Long-term care insurance
• Pensions, annuities, and other retirement income
• Sale of assets like houses and cars
• Social Security
• Veterans Benefits
• Culture within communities

Whether with your advisor or someone else, build a list of communities with the right care level and amenities, at the right price point, and in the right location. Look for pictures, features, amenities, consumer reviews, prices, and other relevant factors. You can also schedule a time to tour communities in your area.

Although you can find great information about retirement homes online, nothing beats a tour of the best senior living communities you’re looking at. You should see the environment first-hand, experience the atmosphere, enjoy the amenities, taste the food, meet the staff, and imagine living there. Set up a live virtual tour if you can’t visit a community in person so you can see the community in real time and ask questions.

Visiting communities or taking a virtual live tour is a great way to get the information you need. During the tour, ask some questions, like:

• Is the neighborhood nice and quiet?
• Is there parking if your family member brings a car?
• How many communities are managed under your brand?
• How are the common spaces in the community?
• Can you imagine your loved one using these common spaces and spending time with their friends and family?
• Is it more common for residents to have private rooms or do they share?
• Does each room have a private, handicapped-accessible bathroom, or is there one shared bathroom?
• How fast do staff members respond to requests?
• Is the community able to cater to specific dietary needs?

After touring several communities, it’s time to decide. Depending on how you feel after your tours, you might have a gut instinct. If not, think about what’s most important to you and your loved one and decide. Do you think your loved one will have to go to the doctor a lot? Choose the community closest to the hospital.