The contract is where the brochure stops mattering. Here are the five things I read first — and why each one tells you more than the tour did.
Most families sign an assisted living contract in the same week they tour. The decision is usually forced by a fall, a hospital discharge, or a diagnosis, and the paperwork feels like a formality on top of an already exhausting choice. It isn’t. The contract is where the actual terms of your parent’s care live, and a few clauses decide far more than the lobby ever will.
1. What triggers a price increase?
Base rent is rarely the number you end up paying. Most communities charge a separate, tiered fee for “care levels,” and they reserve the right to reassess that level — and the price — on their own schedule. Ask in writing how a level change is determined, who decides, and how much notice you get before the bill goes up.
2. Is there an arbitration clause?
Buried in most contracts is a clause requiring that any dispute — including one over an injury — be settled in private arbitration rather than court. Many are negotiable, and some states limit them. Read it. Ask whether it can be struck.
3. What ends the agreement — and on whose terms?
Find the discharge clause. Understand exactly what behaviors or care needs allow the community to ask your parent to leave, how much notice they must give, and whether your deposit is refundable. The conditions that let them exit are usually stricter than the ones that let you.
4. What is actually staffed overnight?
The contract may reference a staffing ratio. The ratio on paper and the number of awake caregivers at 2 AM are different facts. Ask for both, in writing.
5. Who reviews the medications?
Polypharmacy — that’s when a patient is taking five or more medications simultaneously — is one of the leading causes of falls in older adults. Ask who reviews the medication list on admission, how often it’s revisited, and whether a pharmacist is involved. If no one owns that answer, that is your answer.