Supplementing Senior Living With In
Of course, family and friends can provide loved ones with assistance regardless of where they live, but the reality is that they cannot be there all the time. There is a limit to what one person can provide, whether it is at home as a sole caregiver or as a visitor supplementing the care provided in a senior living facility. The good news is that hiring in-home care can help a dementia patient remain in a certain level of care for a longer period.
In-home care can be provided in whatever setting a senior considers home. For example, assisted living only offers intermittent care and supervision, but hiring a professional caregiver to spend one-on-one time with your loved one could improve their safety and postpone a move to the next level of care. As long as this supplemental supervision keeps the senior safe and falls within the current facilitys qualification guidelines, a transition to a nursing home could be delayed or even avoided entirely. The only catch is that the facility must have a policy allowing such an arrangement with an outside provider.
When Is It Time For Assisted Living
Some families may struggle with the decision to transition a parent to senior assisted living, but there may come a time when its no longer safe for a senior loved one to live on their own. As you call or visit, pay attention to signs that your aging relative may need help.
A decline in cognition the ability to think clearly, learn new skills, and remember may lead to unsafe and sometimes life-threatening behaviors. When visiting a parent, look for signs of cognitive impairment:
- Do they seem more forgetful or confused?
- Have you noticed mood swings or changes?
- Do they often lose their train of thought during conversations?
- Are they getting lost in familiar places?
- Do they seem more anxious or irritable?
- Do they lack energy or motivation?
- Are they depressed?
You may also notice changes in your loved ones appearance and hygiene that indicate it may be time to talk about a different living arrangement. For example, you may notice your parent has unintentionally lost weight quickly. Sudden weight loss in seniors could be a sign of a serious medical problem, but it may also signal depression, cognitive problems, or behavioral changes that impede good nutrition, like limited mobility or financial constraints.
If a loved one whos typically well-groomed looks disheveled, or if their usually clean house seems cluttered, dirty, or disorganized, these could be warning signs that it may be time for assisted living.
Additional Residential Care Options
Residential Care Homes
Another possibility for elders is a residential care home, also known as RCFE , adult day home, board-and-care home, or personal care home. These small group settings provide basic services at a much lower cost than typical assisted living communities or nursing homes.
The smaller, intimate setting may feel more like home than a larger community which can help make the transition easier for many seniors. These types of residences are usually located in houses rather than in large complexes and within neighborhoods. However, the smaller setting means that more advanced care options like memory care arent always available, so this choice isnt fitting for all seniors. Medicaid may also pay some of the cost for residents who meet eligibility requirements.
Assisted Living Conversion Program
Since 2012, HUD has channeled $26 million in grant funding to owners of multi-family housing developments in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Texas. These funds have been used to convert existing units into affordable apartments for seniors who need the types of support services assisted living provides, but still want to live independently.
Eligible projects must also qualify as Section 202 or similar subsidized HUD housing, so the units may be more affordable than a typical ALF. This article explains ALCP in detail.
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What Is Assisted Living
Assisted living is for people who need help with daily care, but not as much help as a nursing home provides. Assisted living facilities range in size from as few as 25 residents to 120 or more. Typically, a few “levels of care” are offered, with residents paying more for higher levels of care.
Assisted living residents usually live in their own apartments or rooms and share common areas. They have access to many services, including up to three meals a day assistance with personal care help with medications, housekeeping, and laundry 24-hour supervision, security, and on-site staff and social and recreational activities. Exact arrangements vary from state to state.
Senior Housing Option : Aging In Place
Staying in your own home as you age has the advantage of keeping you in a familiar place where you know your neighbors and the community. You can take advantage of home care services and make home repairs or modifications to make your life easier and safer.
Aging in place may be a good option if:
- You have a close network of nearby family, friends, and neighbors.
- Transportation is easily accessible, including alternate transportation to driving.
- Your neighborhood is safe.
- Your home can be modified to reflect your changing needs.
- Home and yard maintenance is not overwhelming.
- Your physical and medical needs do not require a high level of care.
- You fall within the geographical confines of an integrated community, such as a village or NORC .
The village concept of senior housing
A village or NORC can range from a single age-integrated apartment building to a housing complex or an even wider community of one- or two-family homes.
Members of the village can access specialized programs and services. These may include transportation to the grocery store, home health care, or help with household chores, as well as a network of planned social activities with other village members.
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Assisted Living Vs Home Care
Home care offers care for seniors who wish to age in place, and provides support and respite for caregivers. Home care aides are trained in senior care and can provide companionship, help with ADLs, light housekeeping, cooking, transportation, and more.
However, home care differs from assisted living when it comes to socialization, intellectual stimulation, and cost.
- Socialization. While home care offers one-on-one care tailored to individual needs, seniors in assisted living enjoy a variety of social programs and outings in a community of peers.
- Intellectual stimulation. Assisted living facilities offer classes and continuing learning opportunities for seniors that home care cant provide, including art and craft studios, cooking workshops, brain games, and more.
- Cost. The level of care provided by home care aides is based on needs, and costs are calculated by the type of care provided. Home care fees are charged by the hour. This means that home care may be an expensive alternative to assisted living, depending on how much care is needed.
Caring for an aging loved one at home may also require modifications to make their home safe and accessible. These could include simple additions such as grab bars, to more costly and difficult updates, including ramps, wider doorways, chair lifts, walk-in showers, and elevators.
Cooking And Baking Classes
When seniors move into assisted living facilities, one of the things they miss most about living at home is cooking. They hate that they arent able to fire up the oven and cook whatever they want anymore.
Those who love to cook could benefit from cooking and baking classes in a big way. These classes get them back into the kitchen and keep them safe while theyre figuring out how to cook new meals.
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Assisted Living For Seniors With Clinical Depression
Aging comes with its fair share of challenges, and its normal to struggle with some of the changes getting older brings. But, depression is not a normal part of aging it is a mood disorder that requires attention and treatment. Depression can affect a persons thoughts and feelings, and interfere with ones motivation and ability to complete daily activities such as bathing, eating, and sleeping.
Seeing someone you love struggling with depression can be heartbreaking, and if theyre an older adult, there may be other health challenges theyre facing, too. Assisted living can be the right solution for older adults who have been diagnosed with clinical depression and could otherwise benefit from senior residential living. The community, accessibility, and professional assistance provided in assisted living facilities create a supportive environment that can help seniors make new social connections, discover new hobbies, and even regain some independence.
If youre an older adult living with depression or are a caregiver whose loved one is experiencing depression, read on. This guide will help you take steps toward understanding depression in older adults, finding help and support, and determining if assisted living may be the right choice in your situation.
Looking For Blind Senior Living Options
Explore the extensive options for blind and vision impaired senior living in the Senior Living Directory to find quality care providers near you today. You can also call us on our helpline.
- Laura SandersCare Advisor Hi, Im a senior care specialist trained to match you with the best assisted living options for your loved one.
- Well search for available assisted living in your area and even schedule tours for you!
- Our service is 100% free – there are no hidden costs.
Great! Im glad you want to take advantage of this free service. I just need some details before we chat.
Thank you, }.
Instead of speaking with me, Im actually going to connect you with our assisted living advisor that specializes in the } area.
They will be calling you in the next few minutes. Best of luck!
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Tips For Making The Transition To Independent Living Easier
In addition to adjusting to a new living environment, youll be meeting new neighbors and probably being introduced to new activities. This may feel stressful in the beginning. But there are things you can do to make the transition easier:
Hang familiar pictures, paint the walls, and make sure you have space for your most important possessionsa favorite armchair or treasured bookcase, for example.
Pack well in advance of the move. Dont add to the stress of the actual move by putting yourself in a position where youll need to make hasty decisions about what to take and what to discard.
Know what to expect. Do your homework on the independent living facility and make sure all of your questions are answered ahead of time. It will be less stressful if you know what to expect.
Socialize. You may be tempted to stay in your apartment or house, but youll feel comfortable much quicker if you get out there to meet the other residents, participate in activities, and explore the amenities on offer.
What Exactly Is Ssi
SSI or Supplemental Security Income is a state and federally funded initiative. The purpose of the program is to ensure that seniors over the age of 65 maintain a certain monthly income. The program targets seniors and senior couples that are disabled, have a limited income, are blind, or who have fewer resources at their disposal. For single seniors, the limits are $2,000 while the limit for a senior couple is $3,000. A seniors home, car, and a few other resources are exempt from limit calculation. Any other resources than those that are specified as exemptible may cause a senior to lose their qualification for SSI. SSD is another form of SSI which is available for disabled seniors who qualify. Those with a disability are able to apply their SSD benefits directly to the cost of their assisted living situation.
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Questions To Ask About Senior Living Costs
Long-term care of any kind is expensive, but there are additional costs associated with dementia care. Because this condition usually progresses so slowly and unpredictably, making a financial plan for current and future needs to the best of your ability is crucial. Most senior living communities are private pay, which means the resident is responsible for all costs unless coverage through Medicaid or the Department of Veterans Affairs is a possibility. Remember not to lose sight of what your loved one can and cannot afford when dealing with this emotionally charged issue.
Some financial questions to ask while touring facilities include:
- What is the baseline monthly fee?
- What services and amenities does this monthly payment include?
- What additional services and amenities are offered and what are the additional costs?
- Does the facility accept long-term care insurance or Medicaid?
- What happens if your loved one runs out of money and can no longer pay privately?
For more information on senior living options and to find long-term care facilities in your area, visit AgingCares Senior Living Directory.
Assisted Living Facilities For Seniors In California
There are many Assisted Living facilities which have comprehensive programs designed specifically for the elderly who cannot live on their own. These are not retirement residences with an adjunct care program but are facilities specially constructed for the purpose of caring for seniors. Sometimes these facilities are conversions of retirement residences or small apartments into care centers. They generally are laid out apartment style with special amenities such as walk in showers, wide doors for wheelchair access, emergency call pull cords, etc.
Facility size can vary from less than 20 beds to over 200 beds. Larger is not always better. It is important to visit as many in your area as you can to get a feel for what is available before you make a choice.
By calling our Help line at 777-7575 or by filling out our care needs assessment form, you can get a personalized list of qualified facilities in your area that have been inspected by our staff to start your search.
Typically, assistance takes the form of help with bathing and dressing, supervision of medications, assistance with toileting, management of incontinency care and special dietary requirements.
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Is An Assisted Living Facility Right For You
If youre trying to decide whether assisted living is right for you, ask yourself the following questions:
Do you need more help than family and friends are able to provide? Are the activities of daily living becoming stressful or overwhelming? If family or in-home help is not able to bridge the gap, assisted living is an option.
Do you feel lonely or isolated at home? Having an active social life is vital to your health and happiness. Being alone much of the time is a recipe for depression in older adults. The social aspect of assisted living can be a huge benefit. Good facilities offer a range of social and recreational activities. And the community environment also gives the opportunity to make new friends.
Do you worry for your safety? Perhaps your mobility is limited, making it difficult to get out of bed by yourself, for example. Maybe youre afraid of what might happen if you fell and couldnt get up, or experience another problem and couldnt get help.
Are you tired of maintaining a home? There are a lot of responsibilities that come with living in your own home. Assisted living facilities can provide a home-like atmosphere, without the work of cooking, cleaning, shopping for groceries, and doing laundry.
Signs that an older adult might need assisted living
Its not always easy to tell when your parent or another loved one needs more help. The following warning signs may indicate that its time for a talk about assisted living:
What Is Independent Living
Independent living is simply any housing arrangement designed exclusively for older adults, generally those aged 55 and over. Housing varies widely, from apartment-style living to single-family detached homes. In general, the housing is friendlier to aging adults, often being more compact, with easier navigation and no maintenance or yard work to worry about.
While residents live independently, most communities offer amenities, activities, and services. Often, recreational centers or clubhouses are available on site to give you the opportunity to connect with peers and participate in community activities, such as arts and crafts, holiday gatherings, continuing education classes, or movie nights.
Independent living facilities may also offer facilities such as a swimming pool, fitness center, tennis courts, even a golf course or other clubs and interest groups. Other services offered may include onsite spas, beauty and barber salons, daily meals, and basic housekeeping and laundry services.
Since independent living facilities are aimed at older adults who need little or no assistance with activities of daily living, most do not offer medical care or nursing staff. You can, however, hire in-home help separately as required.
Other common names for independent living include:
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Types Of Assisted Living
The types of senior living and assisted living fall between an independent living community and a nursing home, in terms of levels of care offered. A typical assisted living home might offer 24-hour personal care monitoring and support services like medication administration or bathing, while providing more freedom and privacy than a nursing home.
Depending upon the state location of the assisted living facility, the most common types offered are three types:
- Assisted Living Facility Type I & Type II
- Small Health Care Facility – Type N
Assisted Living Options For People With Disabilities
Seniors and people with disabilities often need supportive living options. When the time comes to start considering your options for assisted living, its easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer number of housing options. Not only are there different categories of assisted living to choose from, there are also a plethora of homes from which to choose. The right choice depends on a number of factors, including support needs, expense, and personal preference.
Once a home is chosen, theres still a significant barrier to overcome: figuring out how to pay for it. There are a number of different options, but its important to choose the option that will allow for comfortable living now, while also ensuring your resources arent used up too quickly.
This guide helps those searching for assisted living homes overcome the two main barriers: choosing a home and figuring out how to pay for it. In this guide, you will learn about the different types of assisted living homes, how to choose the right home for you, how to pay for that home, and state-specific resources to assist you in your search.
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