Are you looking for a senior living or retirement community that offers high-end amenities, as well as opportunities to socialize within the community? Or do you have a loved one who requires specialized care in a consistent, safe, warm environment? Are you unsure as to whether or not your loved one needs memory care, or skilled nursing or both? Please read on. This brief overview of the major senior housing options may help you to begin the process of finding the optimal senior community that will suit your needs.
As you research your retirement living options, you will find there are several types of retirement communities available to you. Active senior communities, 55+ communities, independent living communities and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), focus on providing an energetic and engaging lifestyle for older adults.
Health care may or may not be available at some of these types of retirement communities should you ever require it. Other senior living community options specialize in supportive living care, such as assisted living and skilled nursing facilities.
Assisted living is a type of housing designed for people who need various levels of medical and personal care. Living spaces can be individual rooms, apartments, or shared quarters. The facilities generally provide a home-like setting and are physically designed to promote the resident’s independence.
The services offered by assisted living communities vary from facility to facility. Services typically include one to three meals a day, monitoring of medications, personal care (including dressing and bathing), housekeeping and laundry, 24-hour emergency care, some medical services, and some social and recreational activities.
In contrast to assisted living, independent living is designed for individuals who can still live independently but enjoy having access to assistance when needed. Independent living communities provide residents with convenient access to dining, medical care, entertainment and more.
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.
Memory care is a form of residential long-term care that provides intensive, specialized care for people with memory issues, particularly those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Many assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities and nursing homes have special memory care areas designated for dementia patients. There are also stand-alone memory care facilities.
Memory care is designed to provide a safe, structured environment with set routines to lower stress for people with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Employees provide meals and help residents with personal care tasks, just like the staff at an assisted living facility, but they are also specifically trained to deal with the unique issues that often arise as a result of dementia or Alzheimer’s.
Nursing homes, sometimes called skilled nursing facilities, provide a wide range of health and personal care services. Their services focus on medical care more than most assisted living facilities. These services typically include nursing care, 24-hour supervision, three meals a day, and assistance with everyday activities. Rehabilitation services, such as physical, occupational, and speech therapy, are also available.
Some people may stay at a nursing home for a short time after being in the hospital. After they recover, they go home. However, most nursing home residents live there permanently due to ongoing physical or mental conditions that require constant care and supervision.
To qualify for a skilled nursing level of care, it must be established that the potential resident requires skilled rehabilitative therapy(ies) at a frequency and intensity of at least 5 days per week for at least 60 minutes per day.
A skilled nursing facility provides 24-7 access to trained nurses and doctors who provide medical care specific to your situation. Skilled nurses can assist with IV therapies, administer medication, help with physical therapy and perform regular monitoring of vital signs and other health indicators.
With hundreds of communities available in most areas, finding the best senior living option for yourself or a loved one can feel overwhelming. That’s why we have created Senior Living Communities Near You with expert advisors who can help make that search much easier. Simply fill out our brief form and that will give us enough information to start the process.
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We hope the information provided here will help you in your search for the right type of senior housing options located near you. As you visit the communities that seem to fit your criteria, do not hesitate to ask management to discuss issues that are of importance to you. As you walk through, pay particular attention to interaction between residents and staff, observe a mealtime or two. In today’s health environment, asking how they are handling COVID is a very important question.
Are you involved in the management or sales process of a senior living community? Contact the experts at Bayshore Marketing Group to see how we can assist you in filling your census. We can take your digital marketing efforts to the next level and help fill your pipeline with qualified leads that convert to residents.