Created by: DeepMaarg team | Last updated: 2026-10-07

Questions to Ask During Your First Old Age Home Tour in India: A Family Checklist

A first visit to an old age home can be emotional. You may arrive worried, focused on whether your parent will be safe, and eager to hear that the home can meet every need. Take a written questionnaire: ask about specific daily routines, observe what is happening, and rate each home against what matters to your family. A general promise of “good care” is not the same as a clear answer about what your parent will actually receive.

The practical rule: Ask what happens, how often, who is responsible, what it costs, and whether the answer can be shown in writing.

Before the tour: decide what matters most

Take a few minutes with your parent and family to list the needs that cannot be left to assumption. Separate must-haves from preferences. A must-have might be help with transfers, a particular medicine routine, or a reliable way to contact family. A preference might be a garden, a nearby location, or a particular activity.

If possible, bring the person who may live there. Ask what they want to see and what they want to ask. If that is not possible, make clear which preferences are theirs and which concerns are yours. A tour is not only an inspection of rooms; it is a chance to see whether the person could live a recognisable daily life there.

Questions to ask during your first old age home tour

1. What does an ordinary day look like?

Ask the staff to walk you through a normal weekday, not just describe the best parts of the home.

• What time do residents usually wake, eat, rest, and go to bed?
• Which parts of the day can residents choose for themselves?
• How do staff support residents who need help bathing, dressing, toileting, eating, or moving around?
• What happens if a resident does not want to join an activity or wants to change their routine?
• Can you visit during a meal or activity to see the routine in practice?

Listen for specific examples. “We respect everyone’s routine” is a welcome principle, but ask how that works on a busy day and who makes it happen.

2. What food is served—and what happens between meals?

Food is not a minor detail if it is part of someone’s daily comfort, culture, health, or routine. Ask to see a sample weekly menu, not only hear that the food is “very good.”

• How many meals and snacks are normally included?
• What is served at breakfast, lunch, evening tea, and dinner?
• Is a 4 p.m. snack included every day? What kind, and is it included in the fee?
• Can residents request a familiar food or a reasonable substitution?
• How are allergies, doctor-advised diets, or texture needs handled—and who confirms those instructions?
• Can you speak to a resident about the food, if they are comfortable sharing?

A common misunderstanding: A family asks about food. The operator says, “You may need to adjust a little, but we provide the best food services.” The family assumes the resident’s usual 4 p.m. snack will be available. It is not part of the daily service. When the family later asks for it every day, staff see it as an extra request and an argument begins.

Prevent this before moving in. Ask directly: “Is the 4 p.m. snack included every day? Please show us what is usually served and tell us whether there is an additional charge.” If the answer is “we can arrange it,” clarify who arranges it, how often, at what cost, and whether that commitment can be written into the service plan or agreement.

3. What support can you provide for this person’s care needs?

Describe the actual support needed, in plain language. Avoid relying only on a label such as “independent,” “dementia,” or “needs care.” Explain what a difficult morning or a usual day looks like.

• Which tasks can staff support here, and which needs are outside the home’s service?
• What staff are present during the day and night? Who is the shift lead?
• How are new or worsening health concerns noticed and escalated?
• How are medicines handled, and who is authorised and responsible for them?
• What is the process if the resident needs a doctor, hospital visit, or emergency transfer?
• What would happen if the resident’s needs changed after admission?

Ask the operator to explain a realistic scenario: “If my father needs more help walking next month, what would you assess, what support could you provide, and what might mean this home is no longer suitable?” A clear answer—including limits—is more useful than “we can manage everything.”

4. What activities and social opportunities happen in practice?

Ask to see the current activity calendar and examples from a normal week.

• How many activities took place last week, and who led them?
• Are activities adapted for residents with different mobility, hearing, vision, language, or memory needs?
• Are there opportunities for exercise, hobbies, social time, cultural or spiritual practice, and quiet time?
• Can a resident choose not to take part?
• How does the home find out whether residents enjoy or want to change the programme?

If activities matter to your parent, try to visit while one is happening. A colourful calendar is not proof that the activity takes place regularly. Ask residents what they actually did recently, if they are comfortable answering.

5. How are residents and families heard?

• How often are care or resident reviews held, and who is invited?
• How can a resident raise a concern privately?
• Who handles a complaint if the concern is about the person’s usual staff member?
• How quickly are families normally updated after a significant change or incident?
• What are the visiting hours, visitor arrangements, and rules for phone or video calls?
• Can the resident speak to family privately?

Ask to see the written complaint process and the service agreement. Notice whether staff answer calmly and directly, or become defensive when you ask ordinary questions.

6. What exactly is included in the fee?

Ask for an itemised fee sheet and clarify what can change the monthly cost.

• Which room, meals, laundry, routine support, activities, and basic services are included?
• What costs extra—medical visits, medicines, escort, transport, special food, supplies, or additional personal care?
• Is there a deposit, notice period, refund rule, or annual increase?
• If care needs increase, how is the new fee calculated and agreed?
• What happens to the deposit and belongings if the resident leaves or needs a different setting?

If an answer is “it depends,” ask what it depends on and request examples. Compare the written terms, not only the headline monthly amount.

7. What should we inspect in the building?

Walk the route your parent would use—not only the room shown for the tour.

• Is the route from bedroom to toilet, dining area, and common room manageable for the resident?
• Are call bells or another agreed way to ask for help available and reachable?
• Are bathrooms, handrails, lighting, ventilation, lifts or ramps, and exits appropriate to the person’s needs?
• Is there space for personal belongings and familiar items?
• Where can residents meet family or spend time quietly?
• What emergency arrangements are in place, and where can you see them?

Look for ordinary signs of use and maintenance. A clean room matters, but so do working call systems, a route the resident can actually use, and staff who know what to do when something fails.

A simple tour questionnaire and rating system

Use the same scorecard for every home. Rate each area from 1 to 5:

• 1 — Not explained or not suitable
• 2 — Vague answer; important gaps remain
• 3 — Partly clear; needs follow-up
• 4 — Clear answer with a practical example
• 5 — Clear, observed, and confirmed in writing where relevant

Use importance to show what matters more to your family: 1 = useful, 2 = important, 3 = essential. Do not let a high total hide a low score on an essential need. If the home scores poorly on an essential item, treat it as an unresolved concern—not something that can be averaged away.

Example: don’t let “nearby” decide by itself

Imagine two homes with similar rooms, fees, and food. One is closer to your house. The other has a more consistent activity program and scheduled resident reviews—but you did not ask about either because the room and location seemed most important during the tour.

A scorecard prompts you to compare the same categories at both homes. You may still choose the nearer home, but you will do so knowing what you are giving up and whether that difference matters to your parent. The goal is not to pick the home with the highest number. It is to notice your trade-offs before they become surprises.

Mindset matters: anxiety can make broad promises feel reassuring

If you are anxious or worried, much of the tour may go into resolving myths: “Will my parent be abandoned?” “Will they be lonely?” “Will the food be poor?” Reassurance can help, but it can also make a general promise sound like a specific commitment. You may then feel that your parent can “adjust a little,” even when the operator has not confirmed that the service you care about is actually provided.

The reverse can happen too. After visiting many homes, the tours may start to feel familiar and your questions become general. You may compare room, cost, and food while missing a difference that matters more—such as how often activities happen, whether residents get regular reviews, or how the home responds when support needs change.

Use these practical habits:

1. Bring your written questions. Do not rely on memory during an emotional visit.
2. Ask for examples, not adjectives. Replace “good food” with “What snack is served at 4 p.m., on which days, and is it included?” Replace “many activities” with “What happened last week, and can we see the calendar?”
3. Separate what you saw from what you were told. Note “observed lunch service” separately from “operator said snacks can be arranged.”
4. Record the answer and the follow-up owner. If a detail is promised later, note who will confirm it and by when.
5. Do not decide from reassurance alone. Ask for the service schedule, menu, fee sheet, care plan outline, or written agreement where relevant.
6. Take a second tour. A first visit helps you notice the setting and identify gaps. Return at a different time—ideally during a meal or activity—and ask a family member to review your scorecard. A second visit is especially useful before you accept an answer that remains vague.

Make your first tour useful—not final

A good first tour does not require you to decide on the spot. Its job is to turn assumptions into questions and promises into details you can compare. Leave with your notes, the written information you requested, and a list of unanswered items. Then compare homes against the resident’s actual needs and preferences—not only against your first impression, the operator’s broad assurances, or what you think the person will eventually learn to tolerate.

The best question is often a follow-up: “Can you show me how that works on an ordinary day?”

References

• Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India — Minimum Standards for Senior Citizen Homes (Old Age Homes), Office Memorandum dated 15 March 2024. Official guide covering areas families may wish to inspect, including premises, staffing, health services, family visits, records, and complaints. Check applicable State/UT requirements; the document is a guide and benchmark, not a substitute for checking local rules and the individual facility’s terms.
• Emergency Response Support System 112, Government of India. Official information on India’s emergency response number and State/UT response centers.

For families considering senior-care homes in India. This guide supports questions and comparison; it is not a legal, clinical, or facility endorsement.

Questions and comparison guide for families considering senior-care homes in India.