Trial Stays and How They Can Help You Choose The Right Senior Care Facility

Choosing the right senior care facility for your parent is a complicated task. While there may be plenty of information online, in brochures or from speaking with the facility’s staff, it can still be a stressful decision to make. But if you’re in the middle of decision-making and need help choosing the right one, we have a suggestion for you: trial stays.

Read on to find out more about trial stays and how they can help you choose the right senior care facility for your parent.

What Are Trial Stays?

Trial stays at senior care facilities like Origin at Spring Creek are a way for seniors and families to test what living at the facility is like. Many senior care homes and facilities offer them, including Origin. 

These “test runs” of a facility give seniors and their families a way to experience life at the facility before moving in. They can see what the care and atmosphere are like, what the amenities are, and more. Some trial stays give potential residents the opportunity to:

• Try the sleeping arrangements and see the suites available at the facility
• Taste the food that is prepared and offered
• Meet the staff and residents at the senior care facility 
• Test out the amenities, activities and other offerings available
• Get a feel for the care and environment of the facility

Along with the variety of offerings, some trial stays are complimentary at the facility, while others have a nightly or weekly rate. They can also range in how long seniors can test the facility, whether it’s from one night or longer. While similar to respite care, trial stays are generally shorter in length than respite care options.

While not all trial stays have the same offerings, they give potential residents a chance to experience living at the facility.

Why Should I Try A Trial Stay?

If trial stays are available at the senior care home or facility you are interested in, you should consider trying them. Trial stays are an incredibly useful tool in deciding on the right facility for your senior parent.

A trial stay means that you can test out the facility and its offerings as close as possible to what the real experience would be like for your parents. You can eat the food, meet other residents, sleep there, and even take part in activities and events at the care facility. Most of these are unavailable, or at the very least harder, to test outside of a trial stay. 

These test runs of a senior care facility are invaluable when deciding on a facility. While tours, consultations and research can provide great information, trial stays allow you to experience what the retirement facility is actually like. It allows you to do real-world comparisons between facilities so that you can make the best decision possible. Perhaps the staff at one facility suits your parent’s needs better. Or the senior residents’ community is more inclusive at another. Or maybe even the food and activities align better with your parent’s tastes at a different facility. A trial stay means that you can test all of these aspects of a facility. 

They’re also an excellent way to test whether your family is ready for moving your parent into a senior care community. With a trial stay, you can see how well it might work for your parent and family. It also gives you a short break as your parent’s primary caregiver if needed. Perhaps you’re feeling “caregiver burnout”, a normal and common problem that many caregivers and family members feel when they need a break. A trial stay can give you the chance for a short break, and to see if it’s time to fully transition your parent into a care facility. 

Not all facilities offer trial stays, but if they do, we strongly recommend taking advantage of them. They can help you and your family make the best decision possible for your parent.

Trial Stays at Origin at Spring Creek

Origin at Spring Creek offers trial stays for potential residents. We also have options for families to stay in so that you can make the most informed decision possible. We understand the importance of choosing the right care for your senior parents, and we wanted to provide this option to help you in your research and decision-making.

We proudly offer trial stays for $99 per night plus tax (subject to availability). You’ll get the full Origin experience during your trial stay with us! This is an all-inclusive option, too. This means that your parent can sleep in our accommodations, meet the residents and staff, it includes all their meals, they can try any of the activities available, and they can test out our many amenities. 

What’s included in Origin’s trial stay:

• Quality and deliciously prepared food for every meal of their stay
• Comfortable accommodations in our specially designated suites for sleeping and staying in
• Access to all amenities available at the time of their visit
• Access to all activities on our Life Enrichment Calendar
• Option to take part in any group outings or events available during their stay, free of charge
• Access to our care options and care staff for their needs

We can give your parent an optional itinerary for them to try during their stay here, but they always have the option to join in or not themselves. While sign-up for many of our activities and events must be done ahead of time, we want to keep things fluid and relaxed for them to follow as they’d choose.

We also have options for longer stays, without committing to moving your parent into our community. Does your parent need a full week to test out the senior care facility? Or do you need them to stay a little longer so that you can take a much-needed break from primary caregiving? Or maybe your family wants to visit Canmore with your parent, but they need care available to them while you are away? Whatever the case, you have the option to extend your parent’s stay.

We also offer Respite Care for those in need of a longer break from caregiving, while still giving your parent the excellent care they need. Read our blog all about what respite care is here. 

Along with the extended-stay & respite care options, we also offer options for family members to stay in our facility. Perhaps your parent is particularly nervous about being separated from you, or you’d like to also see what the facility is like for yourself. Whatever the case, we have the option for family members to stay in our community for $125 per night. While this cost only includes accommodation, this is still an excellent rate compared to the average hotel cost in Canmore. It also means that you won’t be far away from your parent while they take advantage of our trial stay.

To provide the best care possible while your parent stays with us, we do need some important information about your parent beforehand. This includes any medical information and physician forms, as well as proof of vaccination. We’ll gather this information through an ‘interview’ process before reserving your trial stay. We’ll also give you any information that you’ll need about our trial stay.

Trial Stays: An Immersive Experience To Help You Decide On The Right Senior Community

Trial stays are a valuable tool to use in making your decision on the right senior care for your parent. They give you a hands-on experience of the care facility and can help you make your final decision. It also gives your parent a test run of living in a retirement community. Origin at Spring Creek values giving our residents the best options, care and information possible, which is why we offer our trial stay.

If you and your parent are interested in our trial stays, contact us today to find out more information and to reserve your trial stay with us.