A good resident satisfaction survey asks about the areas residents experience every day: staff, care, dining, activities, housekeeping, maintenance, communication and belonging. Use one consistent five-point satisfaction scale, end with a 0 to 10 likelihood-to-recommend question and an open why, and repeat the same questions on a schedule so you can see the trend and follow up on concerning answers quickly.
Which survey to use
| Survey | When | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly quick check | Every month | 7 questions, about 2 minutes |
| Quarterly pulse | Every three months | 12 questions, about 5 minutes |
| Annual comprehensive survey | Once a year | 28 questions, about 12 minutes |
The survey templates
Rating questions use the same five-point scale: Very dissatisfied · Dissatisfied · Neither · Satisfied · Very satisfied. The recommend question uses 0 to 10. Copy a survey into your own form, or print it for residents who prefer paper.
Monthly quick check
Every month · 7 questions, about 2 minutes
- 1.How satisfied were you with life here this month?
- 2.How satisfied were you with meals this month?
- 3.How satisfied were you with the help you got from staff this month?
- 4.How satisfied were you with the activities this month?
- 5.Is there anything that needs our attention right now?Yes / No
- 6.If yes, please tell us what needs attention.Open
- 7.How likely are you to recommend this community to a friend or family member? (0 = not at all likely, 10 = extremely likely)0 to 10
Quarterly pulse
Every three months · 12 questions, about 5 minutes
- 1.Overall, how satisfied are you with living here?
- 2.How satisfied are you with how respectfully staff treat you?
- 3.How satisfied are you with how quickly staff come when you ask for help?
- 4.How satisfied are you with the taste and quality of meals?
- 5.How satisfied are you with the activities offered?
- 6.How satisfied are you with the cleanliness of your apartment?
- 7.How satisfied are you with how quickly maintenance requests are handled?
- 8.How satisfied are you with how well you are kept informed about what is happening?
- 9.How satisfied are you with the friendships you have here?
- 10.How likely are you to recommend this community to a friend or family member? (0 = not at all likely, 10 = extremely likely)0 to 10
- 11.What is the main reason for your score?Open
- 12.What is one thing we could do better?Open
Annual comprehensive survey
Once a year · 28 questions, about 12 minutes
- 1.Overall, how satisfied are you with living here?
- 2.How well does the community match what you were told before you moved in?
- 3.How satisfied are you with how respectfully staff treat you?
- 4.How satisfied are you with how well staff know you and your preferences?
- 5.How satisfied are you with how quickly staff respond when you need help?
- 6.How satisfied are you with the personal care you receive? (skip if it does not apply)
- 7.How satisfied are you with how your medications are handled? (skip if it does not apply)
- 8.How satisfied are you with the wellness and fitness programs?
- 9.How satisfied are you with the taste and quality of meals?
- 10.How satisfied are you with the variety of menu choices?
- 11.How satisfied are you with the dining room service?
- 12.How satisfied are you with how well your dietary needs are met?
- 13.How satisfied are you with the variety of activities?
- 14.How satisfied are you with outings and trips?
- 15.How satisfied are you with chances to use your skills and interests?
- 16.How satisfied are you with housekeeping in your apartment?
- 17.How satisfied are you with maintenance and repairs?
- 18.How satisfied are you with the safety and security of the community?
- 19.How satisfied are you with the upkeep of common areas and grounds?
- 20.How satisfied are you with transportation to appointments and outings?
- 21.How satisfied are you with how well you are kept informed?
- 22.How satisfied are you with how your concerns are handled?
- 23.How satisfied are you with the friendships you have here?
- 24.How much does the community feel like home?
- 25.How likely are you to recommend this community to a friend or family member? (0 = not at all likely, 10 = extremely likely)0 to 10
- 26.What is the main reason for your score?Open
- 27.What do you value most about living here?Open
- 28.What is one thing we should change?Open
How to score the results
Satisfaction questions
Report the share of residents who chose Satisfied or Very satisfied for each question and each area. It is easier to read than an average and shows clearly when a question slips. Read low answers, not just the overall score; one area rated poorly by a few residents is often the most useful thing a survey tells you.
The recommend question
Residents who answer 9 or 10 are promoters, 7 or 8 are passives, and 0 to 6 are detractors. Subtract the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters to get a score between -100 and 100. Follow the trend over time in your own community rather than comparing against a number from elsewhere, and always read the reasons residents give.
A note on validated measures
Many assisted living and skilled nursing communities also use CoreQ, a short satisfaction measure from AHCA/NCAL, so their results can be compared with other communities. If you want that comparison, add it according to its own instructions and terms; the questions on this page are original and free to use.
6 tips for running resident surveys
Pick a pace your team can act on
Why it matters: A survey residents answer and never hear about again teaches them to stop answering. Frequency only helps if someone reads the results and responds.
What to do: Pair one annual survey with a quarterly pulse, and add the monthly quick check only when someone owns reading it every month.
Keep the scale the same every time
Why it matters: Changing the wording or the scale breaks the trend line, and the trend is what tells you whether things are improving.
What to do: Use the same five-point satisfaction scale and the same 0 to 10 recommend question in every survey, and keep questions word for word between rounds.
Make it easy to answer
Why it matters: Residents with low vision, arthritis or memory changes are often the ones you most need to hear from.
What to do: Offer large print on paper and online, allow a family member or a staff member who is not their caregiver to help, and give a window of about two weeks.
Protect privacy
Why it matters: Residents tell you less when they think staff will know who said what.
What to do: Report results only for groups of residents, wait for enough answers before showing a score, and keep written comments away from the staff they mention.
Route concerning answers to a person
Why it matters: A resident who rates staff help very low or answers yes to "anything that needs our attention" may need a conversation this week, not next quarter.
What to do: Decide in advance which answers trigger a follow-up, who owns it and how quickly, and track each one until it is resolved.
Close the loop
Why it matters: Response rates rise when residents can see what changed because of what they said.
What to do: Share a short "You said, we did" note after every round, at resident council and in the newsletter.
From a paper survey to one that runs itself
In ResiConnect, these surveys run on the schedule you choose, residents answer in their portal with reminders, concerning answers become flagged items with an owner, and leaders see results by community without building a spreadsheet.
Continue reading
Resident surveys in ResiConnect
Scheduled surveys, flags with an owner, results by community.
Annual survey or ongoing pulse?
What a yearly survey cannot tell you.
Closing the feedback loop
Triage low ratings and show what changed.
New resident check-ins at day 5, 30 and 90
Questions for the first months after move-in.
Know which residents are thriving, and which ones need a personal invite this week.
ResiConnect brings events, rides, dining, announcements and resident feedback into one place, and shows your team who is engaged and who is drifting. Start with a pilot at one community and decide based on what your team sees.