There’s a lot of talk in town lately about assisted living. Progress on the Residence at Vinnin Square—an 84-apartment facility slated to open next spring and located behind Marshall’s—is moving quickly, and another large assisted living—The Mariner—is being hotly debated in Marblehead. If The Mariner is approved, the number of assisted-living facilities in Swampscott and Marblehead will triple (The Bertram House on Humphrey St. is currently the town’s lone assisted-living community).

Choices, however, can be overwhelming, especially in senior care when most of us have never faced these types of decisions before. We’re often forced to make decisions quickly when health issues get in the way, and then we’re dissatisfied because things didn’t go the way we expected or hoped they would.