Questions to Ask Before You Sign: A Visit Checklist for Any Care Home, in Any Country
The table below is a set of questions a family could take on a first tour.
Picture a couple named Pete, 75, and Lorna, 73. They were about to tour their first care home, in a country where neither of them was born. Lorna had a pen. Pete had the habit of nodding at whatever a guide told him.
"I will write," Lorna said. "You ask the second question every time."
"Which one is that?"
"The one after they answer the first."
The table below is a set of questions a family could take on a first tour. The reasons come from public sources, and most apply in any country.
| Topic | A question to ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Price | What does the monthly price include, in writing? | The National Council on Aging reports US add-on charges of about US$300 to US$1,700 a month. AARP described one community that added a US$5,000 overnight aide fee, later refunded |
| Price | How is the price set for each level of help, and how much does it rise each year? | The National Council on Aging reports yearly increases of 4 to 10 percent in the United States. A 2018 government phone survey of 24 homes in Mexico found prices rising with the resident's level of dependence |
| Entry costs | Is there a one-time community or deposit fee, and what is refundable? | The same group reports one-time fees of US$1,000 to US$5,000 |
| Night | Who is awake from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and for how many residents? | See Who Is Awake at Night? Rules differ and "on the premises" can mean asleep |
| Staff | Who gives medication, and who only reminds? | Florida's law defines assisted living "supervision" as reminding |
| Staff | Which staff are nurses, and when are they in the building? | Nurse hours differ from place to place |
| License | What license does the home hold, who inspects it, and may we see the last report? | Assisted living is regulated by state in the United States, and other countries differ |
| Memory | Is the unit locked, and what happens if a resident wanders? | Memory care units can be locked or unlocked |
| Change | What happens if care needs rise, and at what point would the resident be asked to leave? | Many families sign for one level and need the next |
| Language | In what language will staff speak with our relative? | One guide to Mexico for foreigners says most household helpers do not speak English. Whether that holds for care homes is a question for each home |
| Health | Who is called in an emergency, and how far is the hospital? | Medicare does not pay for care outside the United States |
| Contract | What are the notice terms, and what is refunded if the resident leaves or dies? | Worth reading in the local language with a translator |
Lorna kept the notes. Pete asked the second question every time.
On the way out they stayed in the dining room for ten minutes. A family could do the same, and watch how staff speak to the people who need the most help.
You could…
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Take this table to a first tour and fill in the answers by hand.
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Visit a second time at a different hour, perhaps a mealtime or after dark.
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Ask to speak with a family whose relative lives there now.
What did you ask that surprised the guide? Share it here. Someone reading may be holding a pen on the way to a first tour.
Figures are estimates for planning, based on public data. Sources: AARP (June 2025); National Council on Aging (2024); Florida Statutes section 429.02; Alzheimer's Association; Profeco survey of private homes (May 2018); Mexico Relocation Guide; Medicare.gov, travel outside the U.S.
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