Atlanta Memory Care Tour Checklist

Use this side-by-side scorecard

For memory care, add dementia-specific questions

Ask about wandering risk, exit-seeking, nighttime wakefulness, aggression, resistance to care, toileting, eating, medication refusal and how staff respond when cognition changes. A secure-looking environment does not by itself tell you whether the team can support the resident’s actual behavior and care needs.

For assisted living, test the “what happens next?” scenario

Ask what happens if the resident starts needing one-person transfer help, then two-person help; if continence declines; if falls increase; if medication becomes more complex; or if nighttime assistance becomes frequent. The cheapest move is often the one that does not have to be repeated six months later.

Score each provider after the tour

Do not rely on an overall impression. Give each provider a simple 1-to-5 score for care capability, nighttime response, transparency of pricing, clarity of discharge criteria, dementia or mobility support where relevant, location for family visits, and confidence in the administrator's answers. Keep a separate note for anything that still requires verification.

Price the likely next level of care too

Ask what the monthly cost would become if the resident needed more transfer help, more frequent toileting, medication management, nighttime assistance or additional dementia supervision. A provider can look cheaper today and become more expensive after a predictable reassessment. The useful comparison is not just the move-in price. It is the likely cost and fit over the next stage of care.

Get the final promises in writing

Before paying a deposit, compare the sales discussion with the residency agreement, fee schedule and written care assessment. If a service, rate, refund condition or retention promise matters to the decision, make sure it appears in writing. Senior living is too expensive, and the consequences of a failed placement are too disruptive, to rely on a pleasant tour and a handshake.