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Choosing a provider

Memory care tour checklist

Questions about dementia training, individual routines, respectful support, movement and family communication.

By Find A Care Partner

Updated
Sources checked
Reading time
3 min
About this guide

New guide written for this library.

Sources were checked on September 9, 2026 to confirm they say what this guide attributes to them. The guide has not been reviewed by a clinician, benefits counselor or attorney; it offers introductory information and questions to ask, not advice for a specific situation.

Take this on your visit

Mark questions as you go. Your marks stay on this open page only; they are not saved to your account or shared with providers. Print or save a PDF to keep a copy, including every question and space for handwritten notes.

Describe what matters to the person: familiar routines, interests, communication and sources of comfort. Ask how those preferences would shape each day.

Before your visit or interview

  • Ask the person what matters most to them and choose a few priorities to discuss.
  • Bring your own questions and ask which staff member can discuss services and costs.
  • Use a separate printed copy for each provider. Leave room for answers and anything to clarify later.

Use these prompts to start a conversation. “Asked” records that you discussed a question; it is not a quality score or confirmation that a provider meets the person's needs. A tour, appearance or length of licensure alone does not establish quality.

Start with these questions

  • Which of the person's needs can you support now, and which would need another service or a move?
    Notes:
  • Who is available during the day, overnight and on weekends? What happens when someone is absent?
    Notes:
  • How do we reach someone about an urgent concern outside normal hours, and what response can we expect?
    Notes:
  • What is included in your written price, what costs extra, and when can charges change?
    Notes:
  • How will we agree on services, involve the person receiving them, and review changes together?
    Notes:
  • Which licenses, certifications or inspections apply here? Where can we verify the current record and any follow-up?
    Notes:
  • May we review the agreement, notice periods, cancellation or refund terms, and reasons services could end?
    Notes:
  • How can the person or family raise a concern, and who follows up if it remains unresolved?
    Notes:

Questions for this care type

  • What dementia training do staff complete, and how do supervisors help them use it in daily care?
    Notes:
  • How would you learn this person's routines, interests and communication needs and adapt activities to them?
    Notes:
  • What would staff do if the person became distressed, declined help or wanted to leave? Ask for an example.
    Notes:
  • How can residents move about indoors and outdoors, and how is support balanced with privacy and choice?
    Notes:
  • How are families involved in care discussions and informed when needs change?
    Notes:

Source: Long-Term Care, Alzheimer’s Association (checked September 9, 2026)

What to observe and discuss

  • Notice the words and tone staff use with residents, including when someone needs more time or reassurance.
  • Look for opportunities to join familiar activities or spend time somewhere quieter.
  • Ask to walk through the areas the person could use, including outdoor and visiting spaces.

Source: Long-Term Care, Alzheimer’s Association (checked September 9, 2026)

Ask for it in writing

  • A sample agreement and an itemized quote, including possible extra charges.
  • The proposed services, schedule, limits and process for reviewing changes.
  • Contact and complaint procedures, including how to get help outside normal hours.
  • Applicable license or certification details and where to find inspection records, when available.
  • Notice, cancellation, refund and service-ending terms to review before committing.

After your visit

  • Ask the person how the visit felt and compare what you heard with their priorities.
  • Write down unanswered questions, promises to confirm and who will follow up by when.
  • Discuss questions about clinical needs with the person's qualified care team. Review the written terms and confirm anything unclear before deciding.

Find care in this category

Your visit notes

Provider / visit date:

What matters most to the person:

Answers to confirm and questions still to ask:

Next step / who will follow up / by when:

Sources

These pages informed the sections that cite them; the questions and checklists are our own. Links were checked on .

  1. Long-Term Care, Alzheimer’s Association.Checked September 9, 2026.

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