27 Questions to Ask on a Personal Care Home Tour

Most tour guides are skilled at giving you the polished version. To get past it, you need specific questions with specific answers — not 'how's the food?' but 'who writes the weekly menu and can I see last week's?' Here are 27 questions grouped by what they reveal. Print or screenshot this page and bring it with you.

About staffing

Pennsylvania's rules (55 Pa. Code Chapter 2600) require a personal care home to provide at least 1 hour of direct care per resident per day, and 2 hours for residents with mobility needs. That is a floor, not a target — use these questions to find out how far above it the home actually staffs.

1. What is the staff-to-resident ratio during the day, evening, and overnight?
2. How many staff were on duty last night? (Not 'typically' — last night.)
3. What is your annual staff turnover rate?
4. How long has the current administrator been in the role?
5. Are staff W-2 employees or mostly agency/contracted?

About care and medical

1. How is medication managed — self-administration, reminders, or staff-administered?
2. Who is the home's consulting physician, and how often do they see residents?
3. How do you handle a resident whose care needs increase — at what point would they be discharged?
4. Can you describe your last three admissions and what their care needs were?
5. How do you handle a medical emergency — what's the response time to a fall or chest pain?

About daily life

1. Can I see this week's activity calendar and last week's?
2. What's a typical day for a resident with similar needs to my loved one?
3. Who plans the menu, and can I see a sample week of meals?
4. Can residents join you for a meal today before I decide?
5. What's the visitation policy — any restricted hours or notice required?

About safety and quality

1. Can I see your most recent DHS inspection report?
2. Have there been any citations or complaints in the last two years? What were they and how were they addressed?
3. How often does the fire alarm and sprinkler system get tested?
4. What's your policy on physical and chemical restraints?
5. How do you prevent pressure sores in residents who use wheelchairs?

About costs

1. What's the base monthly rate for the room type I'm considering?
2. What tier of care would my loved one be assessed at, and what does it cost?
3. What's the community fee, and is it refundable?
4. How often do you raise rates, and by how much in the past two years?
5. What happens if a resident's funds run out — do you accept SPP, and what's the transition look like?

After the tour

1. Can I take the admissions agreement home to review?
2. Can I come back for a second visit, unannounced, before deciding?

Adjust the questions to the size of the home

• Small homes (under 10 residents): ask who covers when the operator is sick or on vacation, and whether anyone is awake overnight.
• Mid-size homes (10–99): ask how many residents each aide covers per shift and how often agency staff fill in.
• Large campuses (100+): ask whether personal care is a separate licensed building or wing, and how quickly a resident would move to the nursing unit if needs change.