Ten questions to ask before signing a contract

Most of these will not be answered by a brochure, a tour, or a website — including this one. They are questions for a person, asked directly, with the answer written down before you sign anything. 1. Is the monthly rate the whole bill, or a starting point? Some facilities quote one all-inclusive rate. Others quote a base rate and add charges for higher levels of care, which is where families are most often surprised three months in. Ask which one this is before comparing the number to any other facility's. 2. What happens if she runs out of money? Get this in writing, not as a verbal reassurance. 3. Is there a secured unit, and what does secured actually mean here? A memory-care label does not by itself tell you whether doors are alarmed, whether a resident can leave the building unsupervised, or what happens at night specifically. Ask about the overnight setup, not just the daytime one. 4. How long has the direct-care staff been there? Not the administrator — the caregivers who are actually present day to day. High turnover is one of the more reliable predictors of inconsistent care, and it is almost never disclosed unless asked. 5. Can a couple stay together if they eventually need different levels of care? A facility that says yes today may not be able to honor that if one spouse's needs progress past what it is licensed to provide — ask what happens in that specific scenario, not just whether couples are welcome now. 6. What is the actual notice period for a rate increase, and how often have rates increased in the past three years? A contract's stated notice period, often 30 or 60 days, matters less than the facility's actual history of using it. 7. What is the discharge or eviction policy, in specific, written terms? Every RCFE has one; few families read it before they need it. Ask what behavior or condition change could trigger a required move, and how much notice is guaranteed. 8. Is the facility's license current, and has it had any complaint-driven inspections? This is public record — look it up yourself rather than taking a verbal answer, and ask the facility to explain any finding you see rather than assuming the worst or accepting silence. 9. What language do care staff speak, day to day? If your family member is not a fluent English speaker, or staff are not, this affects daily quality of life more than almost anything else on this list, and it is rarely volunteered. 10. Can we visit unannounced, and can we see the actual room, not a model room? A facility that hesitates on either question is telling you something. A good one will not. None of these questions have a single correct answer — they have an honest one, and the value is in getting it in writing before you sign, not in gauging whether an answer is what you hoped to hear.