Greenville Senior AdvisorWhat should we ask on an assisted living tour in Greenville?
Ask for the admission agreement, the most recent DPH inspection report and plan of correction, the staffing schedule for peak and overnight hours, the administrator's name and tenure, how medications are given, and what needs would require a move.
Visit at a mealtime and again in the evening.
How do I check a facility's enforcement history?
Read DPH Healthcare Quality's monthly enforcement reports, which list administrative and consent orders with violations and penalties; our facility pages list every order we found from January 2025 onward.
From January 2025 to September 2026, DPH's monthly enforcement reports list 23 orders against CRCFs statewide; 3 of them name a CRCF in our four counties.
What does the admission agreement have to include in South Carolina?
Every service and fee, at least 30 days' notice of fee changes, the refund policy, the personal needs allowance and the transportation policy, signed before admission (Regulation 60-84, Section 901.A).
Read it before move-in day, not at the desk on move-in day.
How do I compare nursing homes in the Greenville area?
Use CMS's star ratings, latest inspection results, staffing hours and turnover from Care Compare, which our nursing home pages compare with the four-county median, then visit the short list in person.
Ask about nursing turnover and how many aides on each shift are agency staff.
Should we choose a building with both assisted living and memory care?
Often, yes, if dementia is present or likely: a building with an Alzheimer's special care unit can move a resident from standard assisted living to the secured area without a second move to a new community.
A campus that also holds a nursing home license offers the most room to adjust.
Does it matter who owns the building?
It can: DPH's data names each CRCF's licensee and its home state, and many larger Upstate buildings are run by out-of-state operators; ask who manages the building day to day and how decisions about staffing and fees are made.
A change of ownership requires a new license, and new operators can change policies within the admission agreement's terms.
How do we judge staffing at a South Carolina CRCF?
Start with the regulation's floor, one staff member per eight residents at peak hours and one per 30 off-peak with someone awake at all times, then ask the facility to show its actual schedule for a weekday and a weekend and how many residents need two-person help.
Buildings with many residents who use wheelchairs or have dementia often staff well above the minimum, and the facility must keep records proving it meets the ratios. Ask too about turnover among aides and how many shifts are filled by agency staff.
