Questions to Ask at a Retirement Living Tour

The questions you ask during a retirement living tour play an important role in finding the right fit. Go beyond the brochure – ask for real examples that demonstrate how the community meets its commitments.

Use this guide to formulate your own questions you can use during a tour of retirement living, also called independent living. This style of senior living offers a worry-free lifestyle for older adults who want to enjoy all the perks of home ownership without the responsibilities.

Why Questions Matter During a Retirement Living Tour

Many retirement living tours cover similar ground, and after visiting a few communities, it’s understandable to feel like they all start to blend together.

At Concordia, we strive to make the tour experience unique each time. And you can help. Building that unique experience becomes a whole lot easier when tour visitors bring questions that are unique to them.

To complement this guide, click the button below to download a checklist of some of the questions mentioned in this blog and few others that might be helpful.

Essential Questions to Ask During a Tour

The Space

Request the floor plans for each community you visit. Most people don’t carry around tape measures in their pockets or purses. Floorplans help you visualize the dimensions of a room and compliment what you’re seeing in-person.

Floorplans can vary greatly, not only between locations, but even on the same campus.

Some may prefer to have options, like Concordia of the South Hills or Concordia at Sumner, which boast 11 and 10 different floor plans, respectively. This would be the perfect option for someone looking to customize to their spatial needs.

Then, there are locations such as Concordia at Cabot, which emphasizes simplicity in their options. Connor Hagey, Concordia’s director of retirement living, said the living rooms, dining rooms and kitchens in the Concordia Haven Retirement Apartments are relatively the same across both one- and two-bedroom apartments.

“We really believe in efficiency and consistency,” Connor said. “We don’t want people to worry about getting the right floorplan.”

Costs & Contracts

Ask for a list of all the costs involved in moving in and beyond. While Concordia prides itself on transparency, we recognize that not all communities hold the same financial reputation, which is why we are committed to being open and clear about our practices.

There’s a lot to navigate when it comes to retirement living financing. You might hear new terms, like entrance fees, monthly fees and amortization. Particularly regarding monthly fees, people want to know – what’s included?

As an example, Highpointe at Rebecca includes all utilities in their monthly fee, except for telephone and dining services. Everything else is covered, freeing up residents to enjoy their time rather than spend it paying bills.

“Independent living is designed for seniors who are still active, self-sufficient and looking for a maintenance-free lifestyle,” said Julie Spirnock, Highpointe at Rebecca admissions coordinator. “They can travel, host guests and live just as independently as they do at home.”

Care & Support

Tour visitors are often curious about the level of care provided in retirement living. The answer might surprise you – there is usually no care provided in retirement living – but there’s a good reason for that.

It’s important to remember that a retirement living community is not the same as a skilled nursing facility, also known as a nursing home.  Retirement living communities are all about independence, with amenities, social opportunities and more on hand when needed. Some retirement living communities, like Concordia, are designated as Continuing Care Retirement Communities, which means they do have higher levels of care available on the same campus.

Christine Lucas, admission coordinator for Concordia at Bethlen, said that tour groups will usually ask questions that are often phrased as “What happens if” questions, often revolving around health events.

While you have all the freedom in the world in retirement living, if you should need additional services (short-term rehabilitation, long-term nursing care, personal care), Concordia can offer those too. Most Concordia retirement living locations are also within the service area of Concordia’s Home and Community Services, which provides additional in-home care and support including skilled nursing and private duty services.

“At Concordia at Bethlen, we have all levels of care and can help our residents wherever they may be,” Christine said.

Questions We Hope You’ll Ask

There are still so many questions beyond the basics. Our admissions teams love questions. Here’s a handful of their favorite questions to answer.

Julie recommends questions focused on lifestyle and amenities, making sure it’s the right fit.

• Does this community offer a wide range of activities, educational opportunities and transportation?
• Does this community meet my accessibility and security needs?

Christine hopes visitors will ask about the organization/company, getting a feel for its principles.

• How does the community foster belonging and support?
• Are there ways I can be involved in the community?

Connor likes when visitors want to experience Concordia before they make a commitment.

• Can I try the food served by your dining service?
• Can I talk with residents who live here?

Our team loves these questions, but they also love a challenge. Don’t be afraid to ask your own unique questions. They love those even more.

What Tours Look Like

Sometimes, the mere idea of touring a retirement living community may feel overwhelming.  Change, after all, can be challenging – but you’re not alone in feeling that way.

Connor graciously volunteered to help us show you what a tour might look like. Please keep in mind, this tour is specific to Concordia Haven Retirement Apartments. Not all Concordia tours are the same, but they will share some of the qualities this one presents. View the video below.

Try a Tour

Now that we’ve equipped you with some questions, it’s time to put them into practice.

As always, Concordia’s team is here to walk you through every step, from your first tour to move-in day.

Click here to find a Concordia retirement living community near you.

To schedule a tour, click here to fill out a contact form, so we can connect with you.

To complement this guide, click the button below to download a checklist of some of the questions mentioned in this blog and few others that might be helpful.