About FAQs

We offer a medication management program, which may be added to a resident’s personal care plan.

Our communities have relationships with pharmacies who refill and deliver resident medication. Many also offer specially created biometric safes to help ensure that medication is securely stored and taken correctly.

Our Benchmark communities maintain relationships with external care providers who can provide services, such as skilled nursing or rehabilitation, on-site at our communities. Most of our communities offer advanced capabilities, such as mechanical lifts and two-person assists for those with mobility constraints, texture modified diets and feeding assistance. For those who prefer a skilled nursing setting or need additional care, four of our communities are licensed, dedicated skilled nursing providers. At Benchmark, our focus is on helping our residents age well while supporting current abilities.

Our focus is on looking ahead and supporting our residents with personalized care plans and offering supportive services, so our residents can remain empowered and age well. Before move-in, we will conduct a nursing assessment that reviews medical history and gauges current health, including relation to and awareness of people, places and time, memory, continence, fall history and risk and mobility. We will also get to know the resident, discuss preferences, normal routines and what matters most to them so we can develop a tailor-made plan. Based on the assessment results, we will recommend a starting care plan. However, we reassess and modify care plans regularly as needs often change.

Our entire model is centered around providing the best possible care and experiences for our residents. We believe that each resident is unique, and every interaction is an opportunity for meaningful connection.

We have a culture of caring in which our associates are hired for heart, trained for skill and supported with opportunities to be heard and ample recognitions. They are also trained to the highest standards and are constantly pursuing excellence with additional training in areas like empathy and infection control.

Our associates love their work, and it shows in the outstanding, comprehensive and personal care they provide our residents.

Each of our communities maintains relationships with local physicians, including geriatricians, audiologists and podiatrists, many of whom make regularly scheduled visits or house calls at our communities. Our skilled nursing communities also have on-site medical directors who are responsible for overseeing the care of residents.

However, a resident is not obligated to use our physicians or any providers that other residents use and may keep their current physician if they choose. For those who do, we provide scheduled transportation to off-site medical appointments.

As part of our caring culture, we believe that truly caring for one another means the continued pursuit of excellence. We are always seeking new ways to evolve, exceed expectations and set the standard. One of the ways we do this is with education.

Through our premier learning institution, Benchmark University, our associates are trained to the highest state standards in which we operate. Our associates are also empowered to grow with training in areas like safety, empathy, infection control, relationship-building and more. In addition, many of our associates undergo advanced training in specific disciplines or conditions. For example, most of our associates are trained in Dementia Live, in which individuals “go inside” the dementia brain, and many are Certified Dementia Practitioners.

Our home office mind and memory care and community care providers have decades of experience creating engaging programs for those with memory impairment. We have used research to create a program with therapeutic experiences that engages all senses and aims to preserve short and long-term memory.

Throughout our memory care neighborhoods, you will find plenty of opportunities for reminiscing—journey stations, treasure chests and engagement boxes with personally meaningful items that also help residents identify their apartments. Each and every day, residents have the option to participate in art and music therapy, gardening programs, audio programs, and much more tailored to individual interests and abilities.

At Benchmark, we embrace each residents’ uniqueness and create programs entirely around their interests.

Through interviews and discovery sessions, we get to know our residents and provide experiences that nurture passions, connections and enhance quality of life. Throughout each day, we offer both individual and group programs for our residents to choose from.

One of our Benchmark Signature programs is Dream Now, which is created entirely around a resident, dream, wish, or something they would like to do or learn. Offered at most Benchmark communities, this program gives residents the opportunity to make their wishes come true by entering their wishes into the Dream Now jar. At the end of each month, a wish is pulled from the jar, and our programming team works to make it come true.

In addition, each of our communities also has a resident council, which meets monthly, providing us with valuable feedback and ideas about programs, social events and other aspects of community life.

Age varies by each community, but the average age of our residents is generally mid-80's.

At Benchmark, we are pleased to offer all-day dining.

Our assisted living and mind and memory care residents receive three meals a day and our independent living residents receive two meals served restaurant-style either in the dining room, outdoors or in-room*, if they prefer. For each meal, residents are offered a menu with always available dishes as well as daily seasonal specials, many of which take advantage of vegetables and herbs from our on-site gardens.

Our communities also offer other dining options, such as bistros and pubs with meals and snacks available throughout the day. There are also special social hours and nutrition and hydration stations stocked with snacks and beverages.

We believe that meals should be a time for meaningful connection, so we encourage family and friends to dine with us for everyday or special occasions. Many of our communities feature private family dining rooms and kitchens ideal for special celebrations or holidays. Our chefs can cater, or families are welcome to do the cooking themselves.

We provide scheduled transportation to off-site community programs and medical appointments. Most communities include a day in each week where they take residents shopping, sightseeing or on trips. Many communities schedule outings to local grocery stores, pharmacies and local shops. For additional transportation needs, we are pleased to work directly with Lyft.

For residents who may require additional one-on-one attention, we also offer a Signature Services program in which Benchmark staff provide extra resident support and companionship beyond what’s provided in our care plans and community programs. This can include transportation to and assistance at doctor’s appointments, family events, trips to favorite places, personal shopping, errands and more.

As our communities are our residents' homes, they are welcome to have visitors at any time. We work with our residents’ family and friends to visit their loved ones at a time that works best for them.

In most cases, we can move new residents in within 24 hours*, working with residents and families to support their needs as best as possible whether it’s short-term, respite care, when available, or a more long-term solution.

We encourage our residents to bring their own furniture, décor and other belongings to design their apartment in a comfortable and familiar way. If necessary, we can assist you in obtaining furniture either for rent or purchase. However, we are very focused on creating a safe environment for our residents and reserve the right to inspect your furniture for safety and functionality purposes.

Our independent living, assisted living, and mind and memory care communities do not require long-term agreements. However, most of our communities require a Community Fee upon signing the residency agreement. The Community Fee covers the preparation of the initial care plan and our assistance to help you enjoy life in our community during your first weeks as a resident. We also require 30-days written notice prior to moving out of the community.

Select continuing care retirement and independent living communities may require a long-term agreement and each community will be able to provide specific information on their requirements.

We have many couples in our communities. Some share an apartment while others have different care requirements and live in separate apartments while remaining under the same roof. Some restrictions may apply in the event a spouse is enrolled in the memory care program.

If your loved one is worried about losing his or her independence, help them understand that senior living provides plenty of lifestyle choices. At Benchmark, our living experiences are meant to promote independence, not hinder it. Residents always choose how to spend their day and those who need care receive the support they need, so they are free to focus on other things. For example, residents always have a variety of dining options and choose when they want to dine. They enjoy their normal daily routines just as they’ve always done. Our communities also offer plenty of support to new residents to help them adjust to community life.

We offer in-person and virtual visits to our communities. Both options take about an hour and are designed to get to know you and/or your loved one. We’ll show you the aspects of the community that addresses your needs and wants. For example, if food is important, we will invite you to have lunch or dinner with us. We also encourage individuals to bring their questions, concerns and other friends and family members to help make for the most productive tour. In a virtual visit, one of our community leaders will use video to chat and take you around the community.

Contact us to request a tour or feel free to reach out directly to one of our communities. We will get back to you promptly to arrange a day and time that works best for you.

The cost of our living experiences is based on a few factors—the area in which the community is located and its amenities, the size of the apartment and its location within the community and, if applicable, the amount of care and personal services that the resident requires. We’ve made determining monthly assisted residency costs easy with four simple steps, which begins by selecting the apartment and participating in a nursing assessment.

We also offer the Benchmark Financial Concierge, a central financial resource that provides financial suggestions, information and solutions. Our third party providers can offer additional resources on a number of short-term financing options, help accessing Veteran’s and insurance benefits and much more.