Now that you’ve decided to move, determining your senior living needs and wants is the next step in finding the right community. It’s essential to do this before researching communities because senior living in Somerset County now offers so many features that it can quickly become overwhelming if you don’t have your priorities set. Get started here with an easy way to identify those senior living needs and wants.
Consider Your Senior Living Needs
When it comes to senior living needs and wants, let’s start with needs first. Because usually, it’s a specific need or needs such as health concerns, challenges with personal care or medication management, falling concerns, and/or not enough social opportunity that prompts a move to senior living in Somerset County. While it could be any number of reasons, by honestly assessing the current situation at home, you’ll be able to prioritize what you need in senior living more easily. Start by answering the following questions.
| Yes | No | |
| Health issues or concerns | ||
| Mobility challenges | ||
| Cognitive challenges | ||
| Challenges with or concerns about performing daily activities independently | ||
| Challenges with or concerns about maintaining house and/or yard | ||
| Challenges with or concerns about proper nutrition and/or preparing meals independently | ||
| Challenges with or concerns about medication management | ||
| Transportation challenges and/or driving concerns | ||
| Home safety issues (lack of accessibility, falling hazards, etc.) | ||
| Concerns over lack of social opportunities | ||
| Not enough opportunities to pursue hobbies or learn new things |
Download our Family Decision Toolkit!
What You Want in Senior Living
Once you’ve prioritized your needs, you can determine which type of senior living, independent living, assisted living, or memory care fits best. From there, you can narrow down the senior living communities in Somerset County to your preferred location. Next comes the fun stuff; what you want to get out of your experience in senior living. Again, the options are endless, so we recommend categorizing your wants as non-negotiable or nice-to-have. Keep in mind that basics like meals, housekeeping, maintenance, group transportation, and activities will typically already be included in the monthly fee. We’ve identified some of the most popular senior living needs and wants to give you a starting point.
| Features | Non-Negotiable | Nice-to-Have |
| Accommodations | ||
| Private accommodations | ||
| Washer/dryer in the apartment | ||
| Full kitchen | ||
| Balcony or patio | ||
| Extra bedroom | ||
| Other: | ||
| Lifestyle | ||
| Concierge services | ||
| Outdoor spaces/walking paths | ||
| Offsite outings | ||
| Range of enrichment opportunities | ||
| Beauty salon (or barbershop) | ||
| Pet friendly | ||
| Common areas to host family/friends | ||
| Full social calendar of events/activities | ||
| Other: | ||
| Care/Wellness | ||
| Personal wellness plans | ||
| 24-hour onsite staff | ||
| Onsite registered nursing team | ||
| Onsite rehabilitation | ||
| Can accommodate special diets | ||
| Fitness center/classes | ||
| Pool | ||
| Other: | ||
| Safety/Security | ||
| Emergency Call Technology | ||
| Keypad Entry/Exit | ||
| Secure environment (memory care) | ||
| Other: |
Senior Living Needs and Wants Combined
With your senior living needs and wants identified, finding the right community for yourself or your loved one should be much easier. You’ll likely be researching online initially, which is a great option as senior living community websites offer a tremendous amount of information, from what features they provide to image galleries to activity calendars and even virtual tours for most. However, websites can’t tell you everything. So, to truly get a sense of the experience in specific communities and to make sure your senior living needs and wants are available options, we also recommend following their social media, checking online review sites, and, perhaps best of all, checking with those who have firsthand experience with senior living in Somerset County. This could include friends, neighbors, colleagues, those in the industry like your doctor or financial planner, as well as current residents and their families if possible.
For more information on touring senior living, download our Family Decision Toolkit or contact us today to schedule a tour.
