So today I’m carrying on with the senior housing questions we all have. I talked about home healthcare, adult daycare, and respite care in my post from the week before called HOME HEALTHCARE WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS?
What is ASSISTED LIVING?
The actual definition is: housing for elderly or disabled people that provides nursing care, housekeeping, and prepared meals as needed.
I think that when it comes to assisted living people automatically have preconceived notions about what they think it will be like and often times that is simply not the case. I think of assisted living as halfway. Halfway between complete independence and needing full-time care.
These communities go to great lengths to foster independence as much as possible for as long as possible. Until it is no longer safe. Maybe your loved one only needs help preparing meals or taking medication. Then this option is probably perfect for your family and today these communities are getting better and better.
As we learn more about keeping our seniors healthy, active, and engaged the need for these communities has risen dramatically. I’ve been learning all I can about these communities so that I can bring you the most relevant information available so that when the choice is yours you can make it intelligently with all of the information that is available at your fingertips. The first place to start is SeniorAdvice.com. They have done all the hard parts for you.
With their senior housing search engine, it is much easier to compare various communities. Deciding what you need, what your loved one wants, and combining that to find a safe and loving environment for as long as possible. Assisted living is best for those seniors who need only minimal care. Finding the right community is so important.
There are a lot of things to consider when considering assisted living. Some of these include:
- How much care your loved actually needs.
- Expense.
- Location
- Services provided
- living arrangements (private vs. semi-private).
It can a daunting decision, but putting it off longer than you should might lead to a catastrophe. Signs that it may be time to think about an assisted living community can include:
- Your loved one has recently had an accident or has wandered off.
- You find rotten food, a dirty kitchen, unsafe food practices.
- They can no longer keep up with their housework on their own.
- Problems keeping their medications straight.
- Trouble managing their own finances.
There a many different kinds of these facilities so doing your research is absolutely imperative. I loved this article on the senioradvice.com website that gives you a checklist of things to look for when touring assisted living communities. WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR WHEN TOURING ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES.
Assisted living communities have come a long way over the last decade. Now, you can find a community for just about everyone. There are even communities for our loved ones who belong to the LGBT Community. How important would that be for your loved one. The takeaway here is this:
- Decide what it is that your loved one needs in an assisted living community.
- Do your research. SeniorAdvice.com is the perfect place to start!
- Tour facilities more than once and at different times
- Let your loved one have input, after all, it will ultimately be their new home and if they aren’t on board you could be in for a difficult transition.
- Ask other family members of residents what their experiences have been.
- Check reviews
The time you spend choosing your loved one’s home can mean all of the difference in the world. After all, we only want what’s best for our seniors. Have you had any experience with assisted living communities? What was your experience? Let me know in the comments below!
*This post has been sponsored by my friends at SeniorAdvice.com the senior housing search engine!
Wonderful information here, sister!
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Thank you!
There is just so much to consider – I’m hoping my mum makes the decision all by herself before I have to work it all out to decide where she’d be happiest. It’s all so expensive and so hard to nail down when the pressure is on. Best to have info like this on hand well in advance – thanks Rena!
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It really is one of the most difficult decisions to face, I dread the day.
This is great information. We were so lucky that my Mom chose where she wanted to go and when. She was eating tea and toast 3 times a day! Unfortunately they had a waiting list so it took another 2 months and her first apartment was a one bedroom. It was lovely but big however it was the only thing available so we took it. The facility my Mom picked had a memory floor and a nursing home so she could go to every level if needed. They also would accept Medicaid if residents were there for 4 years. These are details that are needed. My friend had to move her Mom to another facility after her money ran out because they didn’t accept Medicaid. Another friend had to move her Dad because they did not have a memory care unit.
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So many factors to think about, I am glad your mom found a good one.
Well, you know, the memory thing. There was no choice for us, my dad was a danger to himself and others. Still, I saw him deteriorate big time over the years. I have my own thoughts about how that could have been better, but since I was 3,000 miles away I couldn’t do much. It’s just a sad thing. More talk about this the better, in my view.
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Mine too, I’m sorry you had to deal with that. I couldn’t imagine being that far away from mom and have to make decisions.
Great advice, Rena. I suspect we may be facing some of these decisions soon.
I hope it goes as smooth as possible for you.
You are so helpful with these blog posts. My blog Boomer Highway started out that way–my mother was experiencing increasing dementia. So she lived in Assisted Living for about three years before she needed to go to the Memory Unit. Heartbreaking, but the major issue SAFETY. Thanks for all you do.
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Thank you so much for the support. It usually does come down to safety in the end when we have to make the hard decisions.
I wish I had read this before my dad passed. His wife did all the choosing and we were left out of the loop for the most part. He was placed in a very expensive high end assisted living facility but it was so far from where I lived and I couldn’t get to see him as much as I wanted. Thanks for sharing this. So many people are going to find it useful.
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I couldn’t imagine having to deal with that! Thank you for the support.
So much good information here. The decision to move my mother in law to Assisted care was so difficult. We tried having her at home, but she needed constant care, and it was too difficult because the boys were still young. So much thought went into the choice, and in the end we were very happy. Still, the guilt will always be there, I think.
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It is one of the hardest decisions to make. I dread the day when mom it too much of a safety risk and I have to do it.
Helpful as always, Rena. Having walked the walk (and you’re still doing so), you are such a source of credible information and support for so many facing these kinds of decisions.
Thank you so much for the support.
This is not the assisted living of years gone by. My dad was in a memory facility. Once my step mom couldn’t handle him at home any more, it was the best option. They encouraged her to be there as much as she wanted. The facility was on Cape Cod. She sold her house and bought a condo across the street and was there all the time. It was hard for her, but allowed both she and Dad the best of both worlds.
My step mother makes jewelry. Dad’s gone now, but the facility has asked her to keep coming over and to consider teaching a jewelry making class. Those people had truly become family.
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That is so amazing that she found a place like that and was able to still live so close.
I think it’s a great solution for many families. Thank you Rena for keeping up the good work! I hope you feel better after your gallbladder removal? xx Abby
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Still feeling a little sore, but doing pretty good. Stitches were removed yesterday.
Wonderful information about Assisted living, especially when to choose the Assisted living option. Probably people seemed confused in between Assisted living and nursing care options, they don’t know that nursing care is for some specific period of time and Assisted living is a long term caring option for disabled people and for seniors.
I’m glad that you pointed out some signs that a loved one is probably ready for an assisted living community. I don’t want to think about sending my parents off to somewhere they don’t want to be, but sometimes it’s better for their safety to do so. Plus, like you said, assisted living facilities have come a long way, so they can offer great care and comfort to your loved one. Thanks for the article.
I agree with the point you made about the importance of independent living communities as we learn about how to keep our seniors healthy. I guess the hard part becomes actually finding a good place to put your loved one into. It’s comforting though that there are services like this that do research to help people find the right place for there loved one.
They have Jorge! Some still have a long way to go, but for the most part I think they’ve made vast improvements.
Each individual will work almost half his life. And when you finally retire you must have the best option on where you would stay.
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Honestly, I think assisted living facilities sound really nice. The fact that it is somewhere between completely independent living and needing full-time care seems like a good compromise to me! When I get old, I wouldn’t mind getting taken care of a little bit.
I agree. My mother refuses any help, but i wouldn’t be so stubborn. I would definitely choose assisted living if I could afford it.
Hey!!
Yes it is very true that every one of us wants to live in peace and happiness even in old age, and assisted senior living is the best options available for us.These senior homes provide every kind of facility to their senior residents.Thank you for great sharing.
I agree with you. I think assisted living is a remarkable resource. I just wish it were more affordable.
Making this kind of decision is really tough! There are lots of aspects to consider. Great thing that we have articles like this online to guide us! kudos!
Thank you Laurel I am so happy that you enjoyed it.
Hey Rena,
Amazing Post !!!!!!!
Assisted living homes, as the name implies are purposed to assist the elderly and other incapable people to perform their daily activities. People include elders, diseased, paralysed and retired. These facility centres are either organised in community groups or independently.The post shows the importance of these communities in the golden years of life.
Thanks for sharing and Keep sharing!!!!
Thanks so much Donny! I appreciate your comments.
Thanks for your tips about deciding what it is your loved one needs in an assisted living community and then doing your research before deciding where to place them. I would think that if possible it would be a good idea to involve the loved one in this process. I would think it would be important to them to have some say in where they were going to spend the rest of their lives.
That’s true Luke! Thank you for mentioning it. In some cases it wouldn’t be possible, but in most I think it would! Thank you for stopping by and commenting! I see from your info you are from Mayfair Village in Lexington, it that KY by chance?
Thanks for the great article. My grandmother is getting rather elderly, and we’ve been considering finding a great assisted living facility for her to live in. In the article it states that assisted living helps the individual foster independence as much as possible for as long as possible. My grandmother is a very independent person, so having the community centered around that is perfect for her.
Deciding on which assisted living facility is best is like trying to find the perfect shoe. If it’s right it is comfortable and lovely and if it’s not it can be painful and ugly.
Hi Rena,
After reading your blog I was much obliged that i got a chance to know all these points about elder care and their living. I agree with you that it is much more important to know that how much love does the elders need, as they are too much attracted by the people ‘s care and behavior. Informative post 🙂
Thank you Willie! I am so happy that you enjoyed it!
Hii
Great post!
It is absolutely true assisted living provides various facilities, for example nursing care, housekeeping, and prepared meals.Assisted living provides the best environment to our elders or loved ones.These homes provide every kind of facility to their senior residents.
Thanks, for sharing this valuable information with us.
Hi Henry, thank you so much for stopping by and commenting! It’s a tough subject, but one of necessity!
Hey!!!!!!!!
Great post you have shared with us.
And I know about care homes but not sure that they will care my parents properly or not. But you shared about Assisted Living service and really I didn’t know about this service where they provide personnel care like meals, medication, bathing , dressing, transportation for seniors. And now truly I think about it.
Thanks a lot for this post .
Keep up the great work.
Wow, I didn’t know that assisted living was primarily for those who need minimal care. It sounds like a great option for older adults who need more of a community then medical care. My husband and I haven’t talked about my parent’s going into assisted living yet, but it may be a good option for them eventually. Thanks for the insight!