Learn About Senior Living Options

- What are the Benefits of Senior Living?

- How much will it cost?

- What are the different types of Senior Living?

What are the benefits of Senior Living?

Social Interaction:

Studies have shown that social interaction can have the most benefits to our mental and physical health. Being noticed, included, and validated on a daily basis boosts our confidence, mood, positivity and overall physical health. All Senior living options are centered around building a community of people who need each other and can benefit from interacting with each other through social and other activities. Loneliness is one of the most reported ailments among seniors that are living at home. 

Nutrition and Meals:

Many Senior Living options include healthy meals. Lack of nutritious and regular food is a growing concern among seniors and contributes to early illness and decrease in general health. A healthy mind and body are critical in your Golden Years. 

Proper Care:

Some Senior Living options include medical care, housekeeping and bathing assistance. Assisted living offers an on-duty nurse, in room emergency alert, medication management and other care options. At-home care services are often more expensive than being part of an Assisted Living facility. When practical, family is often used to provide care, however the toll on care givers can be great and often is not the best option for the patient or the caregiver. A recent study found that caregivers have a 63% higher mortality rate than non caregivers due to the mental, emotional and physical toll incurred on caregivers. 

Longevity:

According to several studies, Seniors that live in Senior Communities live on average 7-10 years longer and healthier. Receiving proper care, nutrition and social interaction are key to making your Golden Years, well, Golden!

Safety and Security: 

Many facilities offer safety and security as they are locked and monitored with staff on hand and emergency alert systems in place for each resident. In addition each unit is designed with seniors in mind with non slip surfaces, safety bars in bathrooms and showers, and wheelchair accessible doorways. 

Transportation:

Most Assisted Facilities offer free transportation options to appointments and other activities. There are also many planned outings to get out and still see the world and participate in community activities. Transportation can be a real issue for some seniors and limits their opportunities and ability to get around. 

Not a Nursing Home, Say Hello to Luxury!:

Many people remember the old run down nursing homes from our great grandparents. These are generally a thing of the past and have been replaced with updated and often luxury facilities. Many new Assisted Living facilities feel more like a resort than a care facility and make it feel more like home. They offer modern amenities with large gathering areas, game rooms, movie theaters, gardens, fitness facilities, in house spas, and many more modern features. Take a tour of one of these newer facilities to see what modern senior care looks like!

How much will it cost?

The same amount as living in your own home! 

Cost is the number one question that Seniors have and is often misunderstood. Most Senior Living options are just as affordable as living in your own home! How, you might ask?

If you were to add up property taxes, homeowners insurance, maintenance and repairs, landscaping, utilities, internet and media, the average home owner pays about $1500-2000 per month, just to live in their own home. If you are still paying on a mortgage, then your costs are likely closer to $3000-4000 per month. The amount of interest you could earn on your home sale proceeds each year, would help offset the cost of your senior living choice.

As you need more care, you will need to hire extra help in your home. This will cost as much or more than an Assisted Living facility. However, an Assisted Living Facility would also provides meals, housekeeping, medical care, and a great social environment. In-home care starts at about $30 per hour. At 5 hours per day the cost would be $4500 per month, on top of your normal housing costs, which means it could cost you over $6000 per month to live in your own home. Senior Living options are generally more affordable and offer better care, better facilities, and a great social community. 

Senior apartments: Options start at around $1200 per month and include maintenance and landscaping and the utilities are very low because you are not heating or cooling a whole house. In addition all the residents are your same age and often come with community events and activities. 

Independent Living: Options generally start around $2500 per month and include emergency response, some daily meals, social activities, community amenities and more. You can still live independently but with added benefits and a community around you. 

Assisted Living: Once you start needing daily care you can hire in-home care for about the same price as Assisted Living. However Assisted Living still provides more with 24 hr emergency alert, nurse on duty, 3 healthy meals a day, and a social community. Assisted Living starts around $3500 per month depending on the level of care needed. 

What are the different types of Senior Living?

  • 55+ Senior Communities
  • Senior Apartments
  • Independent Living
  • Assisted Living
  • Alzheimers/Memory Care
  • Respite or Short Term Care
  • Senior Adult Day Care

55+ Senior Communities

55+ Senior Communities allow you to still own your home but without landscaping maintenance and the residents are generally all closer to your age. Many communities have amenities such as pools, gardens, club house and community activities. These communities are a great way to increase your social interaction and decrease your stress of maintaining a yard and removing snow. This is a great transition to increase your social interaction and decrease your yard work and snow removal. Many seniors choose this option shortly after retirement so they can enjoy life more without the hassles of yard and winter maintenance. 

Senior Apartments

Senior Apartments are an excellent option with almost no maintenance. Because the units are rented, all of the maintenance inside the unit, exterior and landscaping are covered as part of the rental price. Many communities have amenities such as pools, club house and organized activities. Senior apartments are a great way to have a community without the worry of maintaining a home at about the same cost! Generally a Senior Apartment will cost the same amount or less than living in your own home. If you own your own home, the cost of property taxes, utilities, maintenance, landscaping, insurance, internet and media will usually average around $1500-2000 per month. This is the same cost as living in a senior apartment, maintenance free with amenities and a social network of other seniors! 

Independent Living

Independent Living is very similar to Senior Apartments but usually has some added benefits such as emergency alert systems, meal options and some house keeping and care options if desired. Independent living is a more worry free way of life with a more organized social community with events and activities. Independent Living starts around $2500 per month. 

Assisted Living

Assisted Living is great once you require an extra level of care. Assisted facilities have a 24 hour nurse, meals, structured activities, daily wellness checks, medication monitoring and distribution, daily social interaction and much more.  Assisted Living provides the perfect amount of independence, help, nutrition, physical activity and social interaction. To receive this level of care in your own home would actually cost more per month when you factor in all the costs of owning your home, daily care, cleaning etc. Assisted Living starts around $3500 per month which is generally cheaper than hiring in-home care. 

Alzheimer/Memory Care

Memory Care facilities are specialized for patients with Dimension or Alzheimer diagnosis. Theses facilities are secured with locked access to keep your loved ones safe. They have special training on how to deal with the various stages of these illnesses and offer a safe environment to care for your family members. 24 hour care offers great activities and interaction to help slow the illness and provides proper nutrition and medication administration to keep them healthy. If you were to pay for 24 hour in-home care, it would actually cost more than one of these specialized facilities. Memory Care facilities start around $5000 per month. 

Skilled Nursing Facilities

Skilled Nursing are usually short term temporary facilities, that are focussed on rehabilitation after an illness or accident. This is more commonly referred to as a nursing home, as their focus is to "nurse" the patient back to health. They have onsite Occupational and Physical Therapists and facilities with equipment to rehabilitate. The goal of these facilities  is to return you to your home as quickly as possible with the skills and abilities you need for daily living. Many of these facilities are just as luxurious as the Assisted Living Facilities of today. 

Respite or Short Term Care

Many Assisted Living Facilities will offer short term care of up to 15 days without being admitted as a permanent resident. This can be used as respite or temporary accommodations while a caretaker is away or unavailable or just needs a break. This can also be used to help acclimate someone to the idea of moving into Assisted Living on a permanent basis. A daily rate will usually be charged and preapproval from the facility is necessary. 

Another reason to use short term care may be to accommodate hospice type situations when end of life care may be necessary for a short period after being released from the hospital or if 24 hour care is not feasible at home.

Senior Adult Day Care

There are several programs and Assisted Living Facilities that offer Senior Adult Day Care to provide meals and a social community while a caretaker may be at work or away. This can be a great option to help acclimate someone to the idea of moving into Assisted Living as a more permanent solution.