One of the first lifestyle-related decisions most aging seniors make is choosing between moving to an assisted living facility or staying in their home. This post explains which services you are most likely to find under each type of living arrangement, and it gives an overview of similarities and differences in the two environments.
Considering Assisted Living
Today, more than 1.2 million seniors call one of the country’s 30,000 assisted living facilities home. For many, assisted living offers a social environment for independent seniors whose health conditions do not require nursing home, rehabilitation or convalescent care. Some assisted living residents eventually return to their homes when their need for care escalates beyond what an assisted living facility offers or the elect to relocate to a facility that provides more specialized services, such as memory care.
Assisted living facilities feature various unit sizes and floor plans that accommodate private apartments housing one or two seniors. In most cases, the layouts include a living room, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. Some units have balconies or patios attached to the units. Staff is available to help residents with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as eating, dressing and bathing. A full dining room offers three meals a day every day. Centers also help to assure the safety of all residents with a 24-hour security detail. Most assisted living centers have a specially trained staff that plans activities, exercise sessions and outings, such as shopping, taking in cultural events and attending religious services. Some facilities provide nursing care through a contract with a third-party.
Assisted living centers are popular with seniors for several reasons, the primary one being an opportunity to maintain an independent lifestyle for as long as possible and prudent. These centers provide more privacy and autonomy than any other facility-based living arrangement. For example, assisted living centers encourage residents to socialize with other residents and people outside the center, manage their own finances and participate in a full schedule of social activities. Visitors are encouraged, pets are allowed, and having the occasional overnight guest is permitted as well.
Want to Stay in Your Home?
Seniors who choose to stay in their homes and utilize the services of an in-home caregiver see this arrangement as an alternative assisted living. In-home caregivers, who provide services from companionship to personal care to laundry, meal preparation and housekeeping, are one of seniors’ most frequently requested kinds of assistance. In-home caregivers bridge the gap between what the older needs and what his or her family can provide.
As the senior needs more help or more medically-oriented kinds of assistance, different levels of care which is provided at a variety of prices comes into play. Insurance companies, the ones who normally pay for the assistance, use six basic Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) to striate care. Those six activities include managing personal finances, taking medications according to a schedule, shopping for food and clothing, performing light housework and preparing meals. Seniors may handle one set of tasks well and only require assistance for other activities, or a senior can require help across the board. As assistance expands, the fee increases.
Making Your Choice
Choosing between assisted living and in-home care can be difficult. The first step to determining which option is more appropriate for you is to clearly delineate the kinds of assistance you need. Keep in mind that not all ADLs happen every day. For example, personal finances might be managed once a month or weekly, while meal preparation happens several times each day. Accurately predict how many of these tasks can be performed with help from family and how many will take place when family is not available. It is important to view assistance and the solution you choose as a long-term arrangement, not a temporary solution.
As with most decisions, deciding to stay in your home or live in an assisted living facility is not a “one and done” decision. You will likely find yourself making the decision more than once as your needs for help change.
