Are you looking for landscape maintenance for your senior living facility? If so, then you want to make sure that you choose wisely. The last thing that you want is to end up with a service that doesn’t meet your needs. After all, your property’s landscaping is an essential piece of your total facility—and what it has to offer. It’s part of the first impression that families have when seeking senior living for their loved ones. They want to be able to feel confident that your facility is clean, safe, and well-maintained.

But the landscaping and overall grounds maintenance is also something that needs to be well-kept for existing residents, as well. It’s likely an important part of their total experience and enjoyment when it comes to living there.

Of course, in order to choose wisely, you have to know what to look for. We’ve rounded up some key considerations that you should keep in mind as making a decision in landscaping companies.

Look for Management-Focused Landscape Company

You want more than a company that is “mow, blow, and go.” You’re looking for a company that can completely take over all of your landscaping needs—more like a partner in groundskeeping.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of landscape companies that treat their clients like a dime a dozen. They’re used to following a prescribed set of orders and repeating it again and again on each property that they service. But you need services that are customized to your exact needs and that means working with a landscape company that is more than just an “order taker.”

Seek An Experienced Landscape Company

It helps to find a landscape company that has some experience working at senior living facilities. Your needs aren’t like every other commercial property out there and you need to find a company that understands that.

For instance, you might have gates that can never be left open due to Alzheimer’s, dementia, or other memory care patients. Or perhaps you have special courtyards that require meticulous care. Patients are using these spaces to enjoy outdoor time but you can’t possibly risk any trip-and-fall hazards or anything that would compromise safety.

You need a company that can offer a high level of attention to detail. Unfortunately, things can go terribly wrong when you work with a landscaping service that isn’t used to handling special requests and providing a customized experience. The last thing that you’d ever want is for a poor choice in companies to compromise your facility’s safety and security.

Consider a Gardening Program

In terms of residents spending time outdoors—landscaped areas truly are essential. But your residents might want to do more than just enjoy the aesthetics—they might want to interact with these spaces.

Do you think those living in your senior living or assisted care facility might love to plant flowers and plants? Gardening can be such a great way for older adults to get exercise, enjoy the outdoors, and even fulfill a rewarding hobby.

Although not all landscape companies may delve into these areas, this can be incredibly beneficial additions to your senior living facility. Let Carruthers help you create raised beds, planters, or specific areas that they get to maintain.

Find a Company that will Deliver Results

Of course, you also want to feel confident that the landscape company you choose is going to get you the beautiful aesthetics that you’re after, too. Outdoor living spaces have been shown to benefit older adults in many ways including mental benefits as well as enhancement to overall wellbeing. Beautiful and well-maintained flowers and other plants can really go a long way in enhancing the overall look and feel of your property.

This is important as you want your landscaping to be inviting to potential new families and able to be thoroughly enjoyed by existing families. It may even be these spaces where families visit and spend time with their loved ones so that they can enjoy some greenspace.

In the end, it all comes down to finding a company that you feel confident will deliver the results and the customer service that you’re after. When investing in professional landscaping, you deserve to be able to feel confident you’ve made a wise choice.