Practical guide

Senior living tour checklist

A practical checklist for touring assisted living, memory care and residential care homes in Vermont.

A useful tour looks beyond décor. Ask about the license, staffing, daily routines, fees, communication, emergency procedures and what happens when needs change. Every survey the Division of Licensing and Protection posts is a statement of deficiencies and a plan of correction. Each cited problem carries a tag: R-numbers such as R194 for residential care homes, F-numbers for nursing homes, each followed by the regulation cited and, in the provider's column, the corrective action and its completion date. Look for repeats. A medication-management tag cited in two consecutive surveys is a different signal from one cited once and corrected. The document's first page states what kind of survey it was, such as an unannounced annual re-licensure survey or a complaint investigation.

Before the tour

Confirm the community type and current license
Ask whether the services being discussed are currently offered
Request the fee schedule and sample agreement
Write down the daily routines that matter most

During the tour

Observe how staff and residents interact
Ask who is on site overnight
Review dining, activities and transportation
Check accessibility and outdoor space
Ask how family receives updates
Understand emergency and complaint procedures

Before signing

Read all fees, increases and refund terms
Understand assessment and discharge provisions
Confirm exactly what is included
Verify any promised availability in writing
Have a qualified adviser review important legal or financial terms

How to read a state survey before you tour

Bring the newest statement to the tour and ask the manager to walk through each citation and what changed.

The state posts them on its find-a-facility page at dlp.vermont.gov.

What a real survey statement looks like

A residential care home statement from September 2026 opens with an initial comment saying the Division of Licensing and Protection conducted an unannounced annual re-licensure survey, then lists each cited problem under a tag.

One entry reads R194, regulation 5.10.d (3), Medication Management, followed by an SS code for scope and severity and the phrase This REQUIREMENT is not met as evidenced by.

The findings that follow say how the surveyors know: Based on staff interview and record review, or Based on observation and staff interview.

They then give dates, records and the names of roles, not people.

The provider's plan of correction sits in the right-hand column with a completion date.

The same tag can appear in successive statements.

A medication-management tag cited twice in a row is a different signal from one cited once and corrected, and the manager should be able to say what changed.

Questions families ask

Frequently asked questions

What is in a state survey statement?

A statement of deficiencies and a plan of correction. Each cited problem carries a tag number and the regulation cited, and the provider's column gives the corrective action and its completion date.

What do the tag prefixes mean?

R-numbers are used in residential care home statements and F-numbers in nursing home statements, followed by the regulation cited, such as R194 for medication management.

How many statements has the state posted for a facility?

The Division of Licensing and Protection posts them facility by facility on its find-a-facility page at dlp.vermont.gov, newest first, each with the provider's plan of correction.

Is an investigation survey a bad sign?

Not by itself. It follows a complaint or a self-reported incident and can end with no citation. The posted statement shows what, if anything, was found.

What should I ask on the tour?

Ask the manager to walk through the most recent statement, what changed after the plan of correction, and how overnight staffing works.