Table of Contents
How to Find the Right Senior Living Community Speak to a Family Advisor. Determine the Needed Care Level. Decide on a Price Point. Create a List of Potential Matches in the Target Areas. Tour Your Top Choices. Ask the Right Questions. Select the Best Senior Living Option.
What should I look for in a senior living community?
Points to consider are assistance with medication, bathing, dressing and mobility. Is the community designed to allow for your loved one to easily explore it and move about with maximum independence? Pay attention to how current residents get around, and ask them if they ever have issues with day-to-day living.
How do I choose between independent living and assisted living?
Independent living communities primarily focus on serving the social needs of residents, as many are able to live independently without much support. Assisted living communities support those who need assistance with activities of daily living, while allowing residents to live as independently as possible.
How do you choose a retirement community?
Sit down with a trusted individual and look at your finances, including your long term savings. Consider what your monthly bills are today to see what you are affording right now. While you may pay more for a retirement community, you may discover that your monthly bills are about the same.
How do you evaluate a senior living facility?
How to Evaluate an Assisted Living Facility Assess your needs. Know what questions to ask. Take a tour of the facility. Study the fees and the contract. Find out about the staff. Look into the medical services. Find out what types of activities are offered. Observe the staff in action.
What is one factor that determines whether residents of assisted living facilities feel at home?
What is one factor that determines whether residents of assisted living facilities feel “at home” in their facility? Their ability to make personal decisions and choices about their lives. Most continuing care retirement communities ask residents to pay an up-front fee and a continuing monthly fee.
What is the difference between senior and independent living?
Independent living preserves a senior’s independence and does not provide access to medical or nursing care. But when people are no longer able to tend to their basic needs, make good decisions on their own or function without the help of loved ones, assisted living offers medical support.
How do you pay for independent living?
Ways to Pay for Independent Living Personal funds: Most seniors use their income and retirement savings to pay for independent living. Social Security benefits and pensions: Elders receiving Social Security retirement benefits and other types of pensions can use this income to help cover independent living expenses.
What are the five levels of care in assisted living?
Generally, it is common to find communities that feature two to four levels of care within assisted living, including residential living, skilled nursing, memory care, assisted living, and rehabilitation.
How do you choose a 55+ community?
Choose a Retirement Location. The first step is to decide where to live, and there are many considerations when choosing a retirement location. Consider Age-Restricted vs. Plan Your Budget. Prioritize Your Needs and Wants. List Your Favorite Communities. Visit Each Community. Explore the Surrounding Area.
How do I set up a senior living community?
Here are tips on building an assisted living community: Realize location can make all the difference. Design unique amenities. Create options when it comes to eating. Provide memory care services. Connect with the community. Acclimate supplementary services. Activities, hobbies, and recreation matter to today’s seniors.
What is the best age to move to a retirement community?
There are some who move in close to the minimum age requirement (usually about 65), but most make the move between the ages of 75 and 84. The typical assisted living resident is an 87-year-old woman who needs help with two or three activities of daily living, such as dressing, bathing and medication management.
What questions should I ask a senior living facility?
20 Questions to Ask an Assisted Living Community How many staff members care for each resident? What type of training does your care staff complete? Are staff trained to care for residents with memory loss or Alzheimer’s? Are staff onsite 24/7? Can staff administer medications, and what is that process like?.
How do I find an assisted living facility?
Your local or state Area Agency on Aging can tell you if your state maintains a searchable database of assisted living facilities. Many do. Use the federal government’s Eldercare Locator online or by calling 800-677-1116 to find the nearest aging agency.
How do you evaluate a continuing care retirement community?
Here’s a list of some of the most important CCRC questions you’ll want to ask when evaluating them: Who lives in the CCRC and what types of programs are offered? What services are included in the monthly fees and what costs extra? How have fees changed within the past five years?.
Does assisted living take all your money?
So does assisted living take all your money? Assisted living doesn’t take all your money. If anything, there are legal ways to protect your assets if you have any doubts that an assisted living facility might take all your money for just allowing you to become a resident in their facility.
Does Social Security pay for assisted living?
The short answer is yes, in most states, Social Security (through Optional State Supplements) provides financial assistance for persons that reside in assisted living communities provided they meet the eligibility criteria.
How expensive is senior living?
Depending on your location, living in an independent living community can cost from $1,500 to $4,000 a month, and seniors residing in assisted living facilities have a monthly average cost ranging from $3,500 to $10,500 a month.
What does independent living consist of?
The independent living lifestyle offers residents a safe living environment, but with minimal assistance. Hospitality services, such as housekeeping, meals, and laundry may or may not be included in the monthly rental, but are typically available.
How do elderly pay for assisted living?
Most families cover assisted living costs using private funds—often a combination of savings, Social Security benefits, pension payments and retirement accounts. However, there are some government programs and financial tools that can offer help paying for assisted living.
