Questions for the Doctor Before Assisted Living or Board and Care: What to Ask Before a Move

Your parent’s doctor is one of the most useful people to talk with before a move, yet many families only see the doctor when a care home sends over a form to sign. Bringing the right questions for the doctor before assisted living or a board and care move helps you choose the right level of care, avoid a second move, and get the paperwork done faster.

This guide lists the questions to ask, grouped by topic, and explains why each one matters. It also covers how to prepare for the appointment, how the doctor’s answers connect to California’s physician’s report, and what to do if the doctor recommends a different setting than you expected. If the doctor has already said your parent needs more care, see our article on what to do when a doctor recommends assisted living.

Why Ask the Doctor Questions Before Assisted Living?

Asking questions before assisted living helps you understand your parent’s real care needs, how those needs are likely to change, and which settings can safely meet them. The doctor also completes the medical paperwork California care homes require, so a clear conversation now prevents delays, surprises and a mismatched placement later.

The doctor’s input shapes several decisions:

• Level of care. Whether your parent needs assisted living, a board and care home, memory care or a nursing home.
• Admission eligibility. California RCFEs cannot accept some medical conditions, or can accept them only under specific rules.
• Timing. Whether the move should happen now, after rehab, or once a condition is stable.
• Paperwork. The physician’s report, TB screening and medication list that homes need before move-in.

Families who go into the appointment with written questions usually leave with clearer answers and fewer follow-up calls.

How Should You Prepare for the Doctor’s Appointment?

Prepare by booking a longer visit if possible, bringing a written list of questions, an updated medication list, notes on recent falls or changes, and any legal documents that let you discuss your parent’s care. If your parent agrees, attend together so the doctor can hear from both of you.

A preparation checklist:

• Request extra time. Tell the office the visit is about planning a move to senior care, so they can schedule appropriately.
• Bring the medication bottles or a full list including vitamins and over-the-counter drugs.
• Write down recent changes: falls, weight loss, confusion, missed medications, incontinence, wandering, new behaviors.
• Bring legal documents. A health care power of attorney or a signed HIPAA release allows the doctor to talk with you.
• Bring care home forms if a home has already given you a physician’s report to complete.
• Ask your parent’s permission to discuss their care and include them in the conversation as much as possible.

If you are not sure your parent needs care yet, our guide to warning signs a parent needs senior care can help you organize what you have noticed.

Questions About Diagnosis and Prognosis

Ask the doctor what conditions are driving your parent’s needs, how those conditions are likely to progress over the next year or two, and what changes to watch for. Understanding the likely path helps you pick a home that can keep your parent as needs grow, instead of one you outgrow in a few months.

Questions to ask:

• “What are the main health problems causing Mom’s need for help?”
• “Is her memory loss from dementia, and if so, what type and stage?”
• “How do you expect her condition to change over the next 6 to 24 months?”
• “Are any of her symptoms treatable or reversible, such as an infection, a medication side effect, depression or a vitamin deficiency?”
• “Is she likely to need hospice or palliative care in the near future?”
• “What signs would mean she needs a higher level of care?”

These answers are especially important if you are choosing between a board and care home that can provide care through end of life and a larger community that may require a move as needs increase. Our guide to hospice in a board and care home explains how end-of-life care works in a small home.

Questions About Daily Care Needs and Safety

Ask the doctor to describe the help your parent needs with daily activities, how safe they are walking and transferring, whether they need supervision at night, and whether they can manage their own medications. These answers directly determine which care homes can accept your parent and what level of care they will be charged for.

Questions to ask:

• “How much help does Dad need with bathing, dressing, toileting and eating?”
• “Is he safe walking alone? Does he need a walker or wheelchair?”
• “Can he get up from bed or a chair on his own, or does he need one or two people to help?”
• “Does he need supervision at night?”
• “Can he safely manage his own medications?”
• “Is he at risk of wandering or getting lost?”
• “Would you consider him ambulatory or non-ambulatory for care home purposes?”

That last question matters in California because RCFEs must have the right fire clearance to accept non-ambulatory residents, meaning residents who cannot leave the building on their own in an emergency. Our guide to ambulatory vs. non-ambulatory in California care homes explains why this can narrow your choices. For a deeper look at how homes assess daily needs, see activities of daily living and how care homes assess them.

Questions About Medications and Medical Treatments

Ask the doctor to review every medication, stop any that are no longer needed, simplify the schedule if possible, and explain any treatments that a care home may or may not be able to provide, such as insulin injections, oxygen, catheters or wound care. Fewer medications often mean fewer side effects and an easier transition.

Questions to ask:

• “Can we review all of her medications and stop any that aren’t needed?”
• “Are any of her medications likely causing confusion, dizziness or falls?”
• “Can doses be timed to reduce the number of medication passes per day?”
• “Does she need insulin? Can she give it herself, or will someone need to?”
• “Does she need oxygen, a catheter, an ostomy, or wound care? How often, and by whom?”
• “Are there any medications that should be given only by a licensed nurse?”
• “Should she avoid alcohol entirely with her current medications?”

California limits which medical conditions RCFEs can care for and sets conditions on others. If your parent has diabetes, oxygen needs or wounds, read our guides to restricted health conditions in California RCFEs and diabetes and insulin in board and care homes.

Questions About the Right Care Setting

Ask the doctor directly which care setting they think would be safest, and why. Doctors may not know the differences between assisted living, board and care homes and memory care in San Diego, so be ready to describe them. Their medical view, combined with what you know about your parent’s personality and budget, leads to the best choice.

Questions to ask:

• “Do you think Mom needs 24-hour supervision?”
• “Would she be safe in assisted living, or does she need a smaller setting with more hands-on help?”
• “Does she need skilled nursing, or would personal care in a board and care home with visiting nurses work?”
• “Does her dementia require a secured memory care setting?”
• “Would short-term rehab help her regain strength before a move?”
• “Is there any reason she could not live in a residential senior care home?”

Many seniors who seem to need a nursing home actually do well in a small board and care home with home health or hospice support. Our comparison of board and care vs. nursing home explains when a skilled nursing facility is truly necessary.

Questions About Paperwork: The Physician’s Report and TB Test

Ask the doctor to complete the physician’s report (LIC 602A), order or record a recent TB screening, and provide an updated medication list and any orders the care home will need. California requires a medical assessment made within the past year before an RCFE can admit a resident, under Title 22, section 87458.

What the doctor will be asked to provide:

• The physician’s report (LIC 602A). Diagnoses, medications, mobility, cognition, behaviors, diet, and any physical limitations. Our guide to the LIC 602A physician’s report walks through each section.
• TB screening. The assessment must address communicable tuberculosis. Homes usually accept a skin test, blood test or chest X-ray result. Ask how recent it needs to be.
• Medication orders. A signed list, including any “as needed” medications with clear instructions.
• Special orders. Diet, oxygen, hospice, or a DNR or POLST if appropriate.

Questions to ask:

• “How quickly can your office complete the physician’s report?”
• “Can we do the TB test today?”
• “Who should the care home call with questions?”
• “Would you be willing to see her at the care home, or should we use a house-call doctor?”

Delayed paperwork is one of the most common reasons moves get pushed back, especially after a hospital stay. Our guide to TB test and health requirements for assisted living in California covers the details.

Questions About Ongoing Medical Care After the Move

Ask whether the doctor will keep caring for your parent after the move, how appointments and refills will work, and whether a mobile doctor closer to the care home would be better. Continuity matters, but so does convenience, especially if the new home is far from the current doctor’s office.

Questions to ask:

• “Will you continue as her doctor after she moves?”
• “How should the care home reach you with questions or changes?”
• “Can refills be sent to a pharmacy that delivers to care homes?”
• “Do you offer telehealth visits?”
• “Would you recommend a geriatrician or a doctor who visits care homes?”

Many board and care residents in San Diego switch to a doctor who visits the home. Our guide to doctor visits in board and care explains the options.

For example, a family in La Mesa might bring a list of these questions to their father’s appointment after a fall. The doctor confirms he can walk with a walker but needs help at night, reviews and stops a sleeping pill that may have contributed to the fall, and completes the physician’s report that day. With that information, the family can focus on small homes that offer awake overnight staff.

How Elder Answers Helps

The doctor tells you what your parent needs. Elder Answers helps you find homes in San Diego County that can actually meet those needs and have openings. We have helped families for well over a decade, our advisors personally visit the homes we recommend, and we can help you understand the forms and medical information homes ask for.

Senior care placement through Elder Answers is free for families, because homes pay us after move-in, and your rate does not change. We share your information only with homes you choose, and moves can often happen within a few days when urgent. Contact Elder Answers to talk through your doctor’s recommendations with a local advisor.

Frequently Asked Questions About Questions for the Doctor Before Assisted Living

What should I ask my parent’s doctor before assisted living?

Ask about the conditions driving their needs, how those needs may change, how much daily help they need, whether they need 24-hour or overnight supervision, which medications can be simplified, and which care setting the doctor thinks is safest. Also ask the doctor to complete the physician’s report and TB screening.

Does a doctor have to approve a move to assisted living?

California RCFEs must have a medical assessment from a licensed medical professional, made within the past year, before admitting a resident. The doctor does not “approve” the choice of home, but their report helps the home decide whether it can meet your parent’s needs.

What is the LIC 602A form?

The LIC 602A is the California physician’s report for residential care facilities for the elderly. It records diagnoses, medications, mobility, cognition, diet and other details the home needs. Your parent’s doctor completes and signs it before move-in.

Is a TB test required to move into assisted living in California?

California requires the pre-admission medical assessment to address communicable tuberculosis. Homes typically ask for a recent TB skin test, blood test or chest X-ray. Ask the home how recent the result must be.

Can my parent’s doctor tell me which care home to choose?

The doctor can advise on the level of care, such as assisted living, board and care, memory care or skilled nursing, but usually does not know individual homes. A local placement advisor can match those medical needs to specific homes with openings.

What if the doctor and I disagree about the right level of care?

Share your observations, such as falls, night-time needs or memory problems, and ask the doctor to explain their view. You can also ask for a geriatric assessment or a second opinion. Families see daily life, and doctors see the medical picture, so both matter.

Will my parent need a new doctor after moving into a board and care home?

Not necessarily. Many residents keep their doctor, while others switch to a mobile physician who visits the home. Ask the current doctor whether they can continue care, use telehealth, and coordinate with the home.

How long does it take a doctor to complete the physician’s report?

It varies by office, from the same day to a week or more. Tell the office the move is time-sensitive and ask whether the report can be completed during the visit. Delays in paperwork are a common reason moves get pushed back.