Housing and long-term care
Memory care is specifically designed to provide a safe, supportive, and structured living environment, be it a stand-alone community or a separate unit within assisted living or a CCRC.
We like families to understand the high as well as the low range of fixed costs and care cost in planning. As we age, care needs often change, and it’s helpful to anticipate the factors that impact assisted living costs because the price structure is dependent on the level of care that a resident requires.
Assisted Living is housing designed for individuals who need support with various levels of personal and medical care. Assisted living can benefit those needing assistance with transferring or functional mobility (transferring from bed to wheelchair, for example), showering or bathing, toileting, dressing, personal hygiene, and meal preparation, as well as medication management, housekeeping, laundry, transportation, and socialization.
Today Nicole looks at Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs), also known as Life Plan Communities. “This is really an option for people who are at a stage in their life where they’re proactively planning ahead. Maybe they’re ready to downsize. They’re attracted to that retirement lifestyle, relatively healthy and independent.”
How do you pick the right long-term care housing option? Focus on the true care needs of your parent, or your spouse or partner, or yourself. Look at what is needed in the short term, and also consider how the situation may look and change over time. You need to factor in the finances too.
Do you have a plan for the time when home is no longer safe and supportive for your parent/s, your spouse, your partner, or you? Families are usually pragmatic and understand that an older adult who is living with a dementia or Parkinson’s diagnosis, for example, will eventually need to move to a safer, more supportive environment in the future.
The topic of moving may prompt your parent to bristle at the suggestion. They resist the idea for a myriad of reasons: Home is familiar. They’re overwhelmed by all their stuff. Change is hard. The uncertainty is scary.
Sometimes the resistance stems from an outdated perception of a retirement community. They envision the old hospital-model nursing home. “You won’t ship me off to a home,” is a common response. Don’t let an outdated view of senior housing keep the person in your care from exploring what could be a life changing and life enriching move.
Moving a parent to memory care or an adult family home can be a difficult decision for families, but it’s often the best choice. The transition can be challenging initially, though your mom or dad will eventually become accustomed to the routines, sights, and sounds of their new residence. In our experience as Care Managers, our […]
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