Use this checklist before making a decision

Compare care settings, home-based services, facility quality, staffing, payment sources, resident rights, and current availability. A checklist cannot decide an individual case, but it can prevent missed questions, missing records, and avoidable deadlines.

Decision checklist

  • Identify the needed level of help with bathing, dressing, medications, mobility, supervision, skilled nursing, or end-of-life care.
  • Ask what services are included, excluded, or billed separately.
  • Verify licensing, certification, inspection history, staffing, complaints, emergency plans, and current availability.
  • Visit at different times when possible and speak with residents, families, and frontline staff.
  • Review contracts, discharge rules, rate increases, deposits, arbitration clauses, and refund terms.
  • Confirm who will coordinate medications, transportation, medical appointments, and after-hours emergencies.

Information to write down

  • The exact program, provider, company, service, product, or legal document involved.
  • The person’s state, county, ZIP code, coverage, deadlines, accessibility needs, and preferred contact method.
  • Names, dates, confirmation numbers, written notices, estimates, contracts, and appeal instructions.
  • The original source used to verify each important claim.

Questions to ask

  • Which rule or program applies to this exact situation?
  • What is the deadline, and what proves that the request was received?
  • What costs are excluded from the quoted amount?
  • What changes by state, plan, provider, or household?
  • Is there an appeal, grievance, correction, or second-review process?
  • Where is the answer published by the responsible agency?

Official sources

Related information

Within this subject: Updates and Official Changes, Official Help and Trusted Starting Points, Common Mistakes and Warning Signs, State-by-State Differences.

Also review: Family Caregiver Support, Respite, and Training, Memory Loss, Dementia, Cognitive Health, and Safety, Advance Directives, Hospice, Funeral, and Estate Planning.

Last reviewed

This checklist was reviewed on 2026-07-30. Verify current rules before acting.