The aged care tour checklist.

Key takeaways

Before you visit

Don’t walk into a tour cold. A little preparation helps you ask better questions and notice things you’d otherwise miss.

• Research online first: Check each facility’s Star Rating, care minutes, complaints history, and food spend in our provider search.
• Make a shortlist of 3–5 providers based on location, care type, and the data.
• Call ahead: Ask about visit times, whether you can see an actual resident room (not a show room), and whether you can try a meal.
• Bring someone with you — a second pair of eyes catches things you’ll miss. Compare notes afterwards.
• Print this checklist or save it on your phone so you can score each facility consistently.

The 30-minute checklist

Use this checklist during your visit. For each item, give the facility a quick score: good (meets expectations), okay (acceptable), or concern (needs follow-up). This makes it much easier to compare facilities later.

First impressions

You’ll form an impression within the first 60 seconds. Pay attention to it.

• Cleanliness — are floors, surfaces, and common areas clean and well-maintained?
• Odours — a faint clinical smell is normal. Strong, persistent urine or faecal odours are not.
• Lighting — is the space well-lit with natural light? Dark, dingy corridors are depressing to live in.
• Noise levels — is there a calm, comfortable atmosphere? Constant TV blaring or alarms going off suggest understaffing.
• Outdoor spaces — are there accessible gardens, courtyards, or balconies? Can residents go outside easily?

Staff interactions

How staff treat residents when they think no one is watching tells you everything.

• Warmth and patience — do staff speak kindly, make eye contact, and use residents’ names?
• Response times — if a call bell goes off during your tour, how quickly is it answered?
• Respect and dignity — are residents spoken to as adults, not children? Is privacy maintained during personal care?
• Staff-to-resident ratios — ask about ratios during day shifts and night shifts. Night ratios are often much lower.
• Staff demeanour — do staff seem content and unhurried, or stressed and rushing between tasks?

Living spaces

Your loved one will spend most of their time here. It needs to feel like a home.

• Room size — is there enough space to move comfortably, including with a wheelchair or walker?
• Storage — are there wardrobes, drawers, and shelving for personal belongings?
• Natural light — does the room have a window? Can the resident see outside?
• Bathroom accessibility — is the ensuite accessible with grab rails, a shower chair, and non-slip surfaces?
• Personal items — can residents bring their own furniture, photos, and decorations? This makes a huge difference to feeling at home.

Food & dining

Mealtimes are often the highlight of the day. See our food quality guide for detailed data.

• Dining room atmosphere — is it set up like a restaurant, or an institutional cafeteria? Are residents eating together?
• Menu variety — ask to see the current menu. Is there genuine choice? How often does it rotate?
• Texture-modified meals — for residents who need puréed or soft food, are these presented with care or served as unappetising mush?
• Meal timing flexibility — can residents eat earlier or later if they prefer? Are snacks available between meals?

Activities & community

Social engagement is essential for wellbeing. Bingo every day is not a program.

• Activities schedule — ask to see the current week’s program. Is it posted visibly?
• Variety — are there physical, creative, social, and cognitive activities? Or just passive entertainment?
• Outings — does the facility organise trips outside — parks, shops, cafés? How often?
• Community feel — are residents interacting with each other? Is there a sense of community, or are people sitting alone in their rooms?

Safety & care

These may not be visible during a tour. Ask explicitly.

• Call bells — are they within easy reach from the bed and bathroom? How is response time tracked?
• Mobility aids — are walkers, wheelchairs, and other aids in good condition and easily accessible?
• Medication management — how are medications stored, administered, and reviewed? How often does a pharmacist review?
• Dementia security — if relevant, does the facility have a secure dementia wing? How do they balance safety with freedom?

Questions to ask management

Beyond what you observe, these questions get to the heart of how the facility operates:

1. Can you give me a complete breakdown of all fees? — Basic daily fee, means-tested fee, accommodation (RAD/DAP), and any additional service fees. Get it in writing.
2. What are your current staffing ratios — day and night? — Compare to the 215 care minutes target.
3. What is your complaints process? — How are issues raised, tracked, and resolved? Ask for examples of recent improvements made from feedback.
4. What is the current wait time for a place? — Some facilities have waitlists; others have immediate availability (which itself can be a signal).
5. Do you offer trial or respite stays? — A trial stay is the best way to test a facility before committing.
6. How are families involved in care planning? — Are there regular family meetings? How are families kept informed of changes?
7. What happens after hours and on weekends? — Who is on site? Is there an RN available 24/7?
8. What is your approach to end-of-life care? — This is a difficult question but an important one. Good facilities have a clear, compassionate approach.
9. What is the refund policy if we leave? — Understand the terms for RAD refund and notice periods.
10. What improvements have you made in the last 12 months? — A good facility is always improving. Vague answers here are concerning.

Red flags

Any one of these on its own may have an explanation. But if you see multiple red flags during a visit, take them seriously.

After the visit

Your notes and impressions are freshest immediately after the visit. Here’s how to make the most of them:

• Score each facility using your checklist while it’s fresh. Don’t rely on memory from weeks ago.
• Compare notes with whoever visited with you. You’ll often notice different things.
• Do a second visit at a different time — an evening or weekend visit can reveal a very different staffing reality than a polished weekday tour.
• Talk to other families if the opportunity arises. Current residents’ families have the most honest perspective.
• Use the data to cross-check your impressions — compare your gut feel with the facility’s care minutes, food spend, and Star Rating in our provider search.