Questions to ask on a nursing home tour
By ParentNextStep Editors · Updated October 14, 2026
A tour shows you what star ratings can't. Bring these questions, go more than once, and compare what you see with the home's inspection record.
Before you go
Look up each home's star ratings, recent inspection citations, fines and staffing first, so you know what to ask about. Every certified nursing home has a page here: start with nursing homes by state, and see how to read the star ratings and what a citation means.
Visit more than once
Medicare suggests calling ahead for a tour, then also visiting at other times without an appointment. Go back on a different day of the week and at a different time of day: staffing can be different in the evening and on weekends. Use a fresh copy of these questions for each home so you can compare them afterward. Knock before entering a resident's room; residents can say no.
Questions to ask
Quality and inspections
- What are the home's star ratings on Medicare's Care Compare, and what is it doing to improve?
- Can I see the most recent inspection report? (The home must keep it where visitors can read it.) Were all the problems corrected?
- Is the home certified by Medicare and Medicaid, and is its license current?
Staff and care
- How many nurses and aides are on duty during the day, at night and on weekends?
- Will the same aides care for my parent from day to day?
- Has the administrator or director of nursing changed in the past year?
- Can my parent keep their own doctor? Which hospitals does the home work with?
- How does the home check new staff, and how does it report and handle suspected abuse?
Daily life
- Can residents choose when they get up, go to bed and bathe?
- What activities are there, and how are residents who stay in their rooms included?
- Can I come to a resident or family council meeting?
- What are visiting hours, and how do visitors get in after the doors lock?
Dementia care, if it applies
- What training do staff have in dementia care, and how many staff work with residents who have dementia?
- Are approaches other than medication tried first for behavior changes? How often are antipsychotic drugs used?
Costs and rooms
- Will I get every service, fee and extra charge in writing before move-in?
- Is a private room available, and could my parent keep it if they later need Medicaid to pay?
Safety
- What runs on the backup generator in a power outage, and how will families hear about the emergency plan?
Adapted from Medicare's nursing home checklist, “Questions to Ask When You Visit a Nursing Home” (CMS-12130), and its guide to choosing a nursing home.
Who else to ask
- The long-term care ombudsman. Every state has an ombudsman program that helps residents of nursing homes and assisted living with problems and complaints, and it can tell you about complaints at a specific home. Find yours through the Eldercare Locator at eldercare.acl.gov or 1-800-677-1116.
- The state survey agency inspects nursing homes and takes complaints about them.
- Residents and families you meet on your visit, and the resident or family council.