Questions to Ask on a Senior Living Tour: A 40-Question Checklist

Print this page and take it on every tour. Ask each community the same questions so you can compare the answers.

Before the tour

• Look up the community. For a nursing home, Medicare's Care Compare gives an overall rating of 1 to 5 stars plus separate ratings for health inspections, staffing and quality measures (CMS Five-Star Quality Rating System). For assisted living, ask the state licensing agency for recent inspection reports.
• Read reviews. Of the 6,680 communities in our directory that show a Google rating, the median is 4.5 stars on a median of 35 reviews, and 332 are rated below 3.5 (USR directory data, October 2, 2026). Look for patterns in the low reviews rather than focusing on a single complaint.
• Ask the basics by phone. The National Institute on Aging suggests asking "how many people live there and what it costs," mentioning any special needs, and finding out "whether there is immediate availability or a waiting list."
• Plan to meet key staff. NIA recommends meeting "the director, nursing director, or other key staff members."

The 40 questions

Care and health (1 to 8)

1. What care levels do you offer, and what does each one include?
2. Who assesses my parent's care level, how often, and what triggers a reassessment?
3. How are medications ordered, stored and given, and who gives them?
4. Is a nurse on site? Which hours, and who covers nights and weekends?
5. What happens in a medical emergency, and which hospital do you use?
6. Can residents keep their own doctors? Do doctors or therapists visit on site?
7. If my parent's needs increase, which needs can you not meet here?
8. For memory care: how is the unit secured, and how do staff respond to wandering?

Medications rank among the most frequent complaints in both assisted living and nursing facilities handled by ombudsmen (ACL, FY2023). Get written answers to questions 3 and 4.

Cost and payment (9 to 16)

1. What is the total monthly cost at my parent's assessed care level, not the starting rate?
2. What does base rent include, and what costs extra?
3. Is there a one-time community fee, entrance fee or deposit? How much is refundable?
4. How much have rates gone up in each of the last three years?
5. How much notice do you give before a rate increase?
6. Which payment sources do you accept: private pay, Medicaid, long-term care insurance, VA benefits?
7. What happens if my parent runs out of private funds?
8. Is there a charge for a second occupant?

For context, the 2024 national median was $5,900 a month for assisted living and $9,277 for a semi-private nursing home room (CareScout Cost of Care Survey).

Staff (17 to 24)

1. How many caregivers are on duty for this unit on day, evening and night shifts?
2. What training do caregivers receive, and is there dementia-specific training?
3. How long have the executive director and the care director been here?
4. How many caregivers left in the last year?
5. Do you use agency or temporary staff? How often?
6. How quickly do staff answer call buttons, and do you track it?
7. Who is my contact for care questions, and how do they reach me?
8. Are background checks run on every employee?

Staffing appears on the ombudsman top-five complaint list for assisted living. For nursing homes, CMS bases its staffing rating on registered nurse hours and total nurse staffing hours per resident day (ACL FY2023; CMS Five-Star Quality Rating System).

The contract (25 to 32)

1. Can I take a copy of the contract and the resident handbook home before signing?
2. Under what conditions can you ask a resident to move out?
3. How much notice do you give before a discharge, and how can it be appealed?
4. What are the refund rules if my parent moves out or dies?
5. What are the rules for a hospital stay: is the apartment held, and do fees continue?
6. Who decides when care needs exceed what you provide?
7. Are there arbitration clauses, and are they required to move in?
8. When was the community last inspected, and can I see the report?

Discharge or eviction heads the list of the five most frequent complaints ombudsmen handled in both assisted living and nursing facilities in FY2023 (ACL). NIA advises reading the contract carefully and reading it "again before signing it."

Daily life (33 to 40)

1. Can we eat a meal here today? Who plans the menu, and can it handle special diets?
2. What does a typical day look like, and how many residents join activities?
3. Is transportation provided to appointments and errands? Is there a charge?
4. What are the visiting hours and rules?
5. Can residents bring furniture, and pets?
6. How is laundry and housekeeping handled, and how often?
7. How do residents raise a concern, and is there a resident council?
8. May I talk with current residents or family members?

Food services is also on the ombudsman top-five complaint list for assisted living (ACL, FY2023). Use question 33 to see the dining experience for yourself.

What to watch for while you are there

NIA suggests looking for state licensing, Medicare and Medicaid certification for nursing homes, accessibility for people with disabilities, residents who look appropriately dressed and well cared for, and "warm and respectful interaction between staff and residents." If possible, visit more than once and at different times of day.

Where to get help after a move

Every state has a Long-Term Care Ombudsman program that works to resolve problems for residents of nursing homes, assisted living and board and care homes. It operates in all states, DC, Puerto Rico and Guam (ACL). In FY2023 the program worked on 202,894 complaints and resolved or partially resolved 71% of them to the satisfaction of the resident or complainant (ACL).

Read next: How to choose a senior living community, How senior living pricing works, and our assisted living and memory care pages.

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