Senior living communities can take a range of forms, from independent living to assisted living and memory care, all of which are designed to meet the changing needs of older adults.

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In the U.S., the baby boomer population – those born between 1946 and 1964 – is approaching a life stage that may dictate a move to one of these senior living options. By 2030, all baby boomers will have reached 65 years old, the threshold for retirement. Additionally, the U.S. Census Bureau has predicted that between 2023 and 2030, the population of those over 65 will grow by 18%. And those over age 75 will grow by 30%, notes LCS, a senior living management company. In short, demand for senior living options will only continue to grow.

To get a better understanding of the experiences of current residents in these senior living communities, U.S. News surveyed 754 U.S. adults who had moved into a senior living community within the year prior to the survey or had a parent or spouse living in such a community who’d moved there within the past year.

We asked how these individuals and their families navigated the process of researching and choosing a senior living community and what they thought of the community they moved into. Their key insights based on our survey follow.

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It’s no secret that starting a senior living community search can be daunting. We wanted to know how individuals and families approached this important task and what assumptions they held while researching their options.

Just over three-quarters of respondents (76%) said they had a positive attitude going into the process of choosing a senior living community, while just 1 in 10 (11%) said they had a negative attitude.

Those who felt positive, however, were aware of the challenges facing seniors heading into a new living situation.

Going into their search for a senior living community, respondents’ top five concerns were:

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We asked respondents how they researched senior living community options to ascertain which tools they preferred and which resources they found most helpful.

Half of respondents (50%) said in-person tours of senior living........

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