Retirement is all about choices, but few are as important as where to live. While many seniors get along fine at home, others choose to move to a senior living community so knowing the senior living care options is essential to making the right choice. Take a look at an overview of the senior living care options available today.
Seniors who are totally independent
Seniors who are healthy and able to care for themselves without help from others often make independent living their choice because the lifestyle is free from home care and maintenance. Today’s modern independent living communities have changed how seniors can live with all the comforts of home but without all the associated worries and costs. Seniors also enjoy 24/7 security, a variety of planned activities, excellent chef-prepared meals, and amenities like hair salons and barbershops, exercise centers, classes, and entertainment all designed for active seniors. Also available are transportation, and housekeeping and linen services to make life even easier. For an inside look at how much senior living care options have changed, check out our blog, “Senior Living Communities Today: Not What They Once Were!”
Seniors who need daily help
Assisted living is the best of senior living care options for seniors who need assistance with simple tasks like dressing, personal hygiene, and medication management. While these may be covered by family for seniors living at home, as they increase so too does the burden on those juggling responsibilities of raising families and working.
For these seniors and their families, a look at assisted living is worth the time. Of all the senior living care options, assisted living is the perfect balance of care and independence that ensures a safe and secure home, with assistance as needed, and the freedom to really live a carefree lifestyle.
Assisted living residents have their own private apartments, wonderful amenities, and opportunities to pursue hobbies, meet new friends and make each day the best it can be. At the same time, they and their loved ones have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that caring and compassionate team members are always on hand. To learn more about making the right choice among senior living care options, our blog “When At-Home Care Is and Isn’t a Good Choice for Seniors” is a great resource.
Seniors with memory loss
Memory loss due to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease makes seniors vulnerable to many safety concerns, which in turn forces families to try to provide a level of care that can quickly overwhelm them. From forgetting to turn off a stove to the inability to manage aspects of daily life like paying bills, to wandering away and getting lost or injured, seniors who suffer from memory loss are at risk all day and night even in their own homes.
But memory care communities are designed to protect and keep residents secure while providing them with the specialized care they need to remain as independent as possible. Each memory care resident at Thrive Senior Living also has the benefit of team members who are certified by the National Institute for Dementia Education and treat each of them not as a patient, but as a person. And also essential is socialization as described in our blog, “In With the In Crowd: The Benefits of Socialization for Older Adults,” that is important to the mental health of every older adult.
Seniors who need medical care
Also on the list of senior living care options is skilled nursing. The need for around-the-clock medical care, often after a hospital stay for an illness or injury, is best provided in skilled nursing where seniors are served by licensed medical professionals who provide therapies and other specialized care needed to help them recover and rehabilitate as quickly as possible.
Seniors getting care at home
Often seniors and their families believe that hiring help at home will be less costly than that provided by one of the senior living care options. But that is not often the case. Depending on how much care is required and the availability of qualified caregivers, the costs can equal and even exceed the costs of senior living. In fact, according to the 2021 Genworth Cost of Care Survey the national median cost of a home health aide is $5,148 and that of assisted living is $4,500. And assisted living also includes housing, meals and other amenities seniors still have to pay for at home.
Senior living care options are better than ever before and at Thrive Senior Living, our goal is to serve and care for each individual with compassion and respect. To learn more, download our Senior Living Options guide. Learn more about Thrive’s communities, housing choices and amenities by contacting us today!