(Click on the image for the Washington Consumers'Checkbook article)
- Once you’ve identified a handful of prospective communities, call them and ask a lot of questions. There’s much at stake, so you need to choose smartly. Some require buy-in options, sizeable financial commitments that are typically difficult or impossible to back out of. Even if you choose a residence that charges only monthly rent, there are usually a lot of upfront moving costs and a minimum one-year lease. “In many ways, it’s like buying a car—there’s the sticker price, but when you finally sign on the dotted line, it has nothing to do with the final amount you’ll pay,”
- The advice is free to all, but you need to be a subscriber to see their online ratings of 202 assisted living communities in the area. Prince George's County Memorial Libraries have hard copies. It's worth seeing the ratings just to see how much assisted living costs.