For Families · 28 Feb 2026
From abroad, choosing senior living for your parents: a quieter guide.
What to look for, what to ask, and how to judge care from ten time zones away.
Judging care from ten time zones away
The hardest part is not the shortlist. It is knowing what a place is like on an ordinary Tuesday, when nobody is expecting a visit.
Questions worth asking
- Who is on site overnight, and what are they qualified to do?
- How far is the nearest hospital that can admit, not just stabilise?
- What happens in the first ten minutes of an emergency?
- What does a resident do all day if they want company — and if they do not?
Ask for the answers in writing. A community that has thought about them will have them ready.
If the answer to "what happens at 3am" takes more than a sentence, keep asking.
Our connectivity map sets out travel times to each hospital on the corridor.
