Use five short surveys in a new resident's first 90 days: resident and family at day 5, resident and family at day 30, and one combined set at day 90. Keep each to five questions, use the same scales every time so answers can be compared, and decide in advance which answers trigger a follow-up with an owner and a date.
The day 5, 30 and 90 check-ins are conversations. These surveys are the written record behind them: the same questions every time, on the same scales, so you can compare one resident's day 5 with their day 30, and one community with another.
Each question has a follow-up trigger: the answer that means someone should act this week. Decide these before you send the first survey, so nobody has to judge in the moment whether an answer is worth raising.
The 5 question sets
Day 5, resident
Asked in person by resident services. Keep it to five questions.
| Question | Answer | Follow up if |
|---|---|---|
| 1. How comfortable do you feel in your apartment so far? | 1 to 5 (1 = not at all, 5 = very much) | 2 or lower |
| 2. Do you know where to go for meals and activities? | Yes / Not yet | Not yet |
| 3. Have you met someone you enjoy talking to? | Yes / Not yet | Not yet |
| 4. Is anything in your apartment not working? | Yes (what?) / No | Yes |
| 5. What would make next week better? | Open answer | Read every answer |
Day 5, family
Sent by email or text, or asked on the day 5 call.
| Question | Answer | Follow up if |
|---|---|---|
| 1. How smooth was move-in day? | 1 to 5 (1 = not at all, 5 = very much) | 2 or lower |
| 2. Has everything we promised before move-in happened? | Yes / Not yet (what?) | Not yet |
| 3. Do you know who to contact with a question? | Yes / No | No |
| 4. How often would you like an update this month? | Weekly / Every two weeks / Only if something changes | Read every answer |
| 5. Is there anything you are worried about? | Open answer | Any worry |
Day 30, resident
Asked in person by resident services.
| Question | Answer | Follow up if |
|---|---|---|
| 1. How much does this feel like home now? | 1 to 5 (1 = not at all, 5 = very much) | 2 or lower |
| 2. How happy are you with meals and dining? | 1 to 5 (1 = not at all, 5 = very much) | 2 or lower |
| 3. How many activities have you joined in the last two weeks? | None / 1 to 2 / 3 or more | None |
| 4. Is anything about your care or your apartment still not right? | Yes (what?) / No | Yes |
| 5. How likely are you to tell a friend this is a good place to live? | 0 to 10 | 6 or lower |
Day 30, family
Sent by email or text.
| Question | Answer | Follow up if |
|---|---|---|
| 1. How well do you feel your loved one is settling in? | 1 to 5 (1 = not at all, 5 = very much) | 2 or lower |
| 2. How well have we kept you informed this month? | 1 to 5 (1 = not at all, 5 = very much) | 2 or lower |
| 3. When you raised a concern, was it resolved? | Yes / Partly / No / I have not raised one | Partly or No |
| 4. How likely are you to recommend us to a friend? | 0 to 10 | 6 or lower |
| 5. What is one thing we could do better? | Open answer | Read every answer |
Day 90, resident and family
A short form before the day 90 conversation with the Executive Director.
| Question | Answer | Follow up if |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Does this feel like home now? | Yes / Mostly / Not yet | Not yet |
| 2. How well did the community match what you were promised before moving in? | 1 to 5 (1 = not at all, 5 = very much) | 2 or lower |
| 3. What made the biggest difference in the first three months? | Open answer | Read every answer |
| 4. What should we have done differently in the first month? | Open answer | Read every answer |
| 5. How likely are you to recommend us to a friend? | 0 to 10 | 6 or lower |
A low score is not bad news. It is the early warning the survey exists to catch, while there is still time to fix it.
How to run them
- Keep the wording identical across residents and quarters, or the answers stop being comparable.
- Ask residents in person and write the answers down for them. Send families a short form by their preferred channel.
- Route every trigger the same day to an owner with a date. Send anything about health or mood to nursing.
- Close the loop. Tell the resident or family what you did about their answer.
- Review patterns monthly. If several residents give the same low answer at day 30, the move-in process needs to change, not just the follow-up.
From answers to numbers
Two of the 8 move-in KPIs come straight from these surveys: the family likelihood to recommend at day 30, and the share of concerns followed up. Track them quarterly and compare against your own previous quarters.
ResiOnboarding schedules the day 5, 30 and 90 check-ins for every new resident, records the answers against the resident, and raises an alert when an answer suggests someone is struggling. See the product overview.
Continue reading
Resident Check-Ins at Day 5, 30 and 90
Who should ask, and how to run the conversation.
Surveys at Day 5, 30 and 90
Why structured surveys catch move-out risk early.
Family Communication Templates
What to send the family after each check-in.
8 Senior Living Move-In KPIs
Turn the answers into numbers you track.
Every new resident gets one first impression. Make it the one your team intended.
ResiOnboarding puts every task, owner and due date for a move-in on one shared plan, from deposit through day 90. Start with a pilot at one community: your team runs your next move-ins on it, and you decide based on what you see.