Retirement Living and Assisted Living

A NEW PLACE FOR MOM

By Gregory Klick

It's a worrisome scenario all too common across this great country. You've been busy trying to get ahead in life, juggling your career and the needs of your spouse and children. Late business meetings, seemingly endless errands, parent-teacher conferences and household chores occupy your every waking moment. Sleep has become a luxury.

You awake one weekend morning and suddenly realize it's been over a month since you've last visited your aging parent or grandparent. You're a good, caring person, though, and you decide today is the day you will pay your loved one a long overdue visit. After a quick bite of breakfast, you hop in the car and drive on over. You're smiling and anxiously anticipate the warm embrace that awaits you.

As you pull-up to their house, however, the joy of your arrival starts to fade. You notice the lawn is starting to die and weeds are sprouting from the cracks in the cement driveway. You walk inside and take a quick look around. The house isn't as neat and tidy as it was the last time you were there. Several weeks of old newspapers lay on the living room floor next to the sofa. Next to the TV Guide, an assortment of pill bottles sit on the coffee table and you wonder if they're being taken correctly. You walk into the kitchen and peak inside the refrigerator. It's not well-stocked with the tasty and healthy foods you remember. You open the freezer and notice that it's filled mostly with microwavable meals. Gazing out the window above the sink, you realize that old friends have moved away and the neighborhood has changed. It occurs to you that the television has become your loved one's new best friend. "When did this all happen?" you wonder. Feelings of guilt overcome you.

You're not alone. Thousands of Americans experience this same situation every year: What should have been an enjoyable visit instead becomes a stark realization that your aging parent or grandparent is no longer able to completely and properly care for themselves. You'd like to do more to help, but you know that the demands of your own life prevent you from consistently providing the care and support your loved one needs to thrive in their own home. What do you do? Where do you turn?

Luckily, solutions do exist and senior living communities often offer one of the best choices for peace of mind for aging seniors and their families. Senior living communities typically offer two choices of living arrangements: Independent Living or Assisted Living. Some communities choose to offer one of these living arrangements, while others offer both, allowing a resident to age in place for a longer period of time. Below is a description of the services you will usually find at an independent or assisted living community. Please keep in mind that the services described can vary widely from place to place and some communities may offer more, while others may offer less.

Independent living communities usually provide the following services:

• Private apartments or semi-private accommodations
• Two or three meals a day served in a common dining area
• Housekeeping and/or laundry services
• Transportation
• 24-hour security and/or staff availability

Assisted living communities usually provide the following services:

• Private apartments of semi-private accommodations
• Two or three meals a day served in a common dining area
• Housekeeping services
• Transportation
• Assistance with eating, bathing, dressing, toileting and walking
• Access to health and medical services
• 24-hour staff availability
• Emergency call systems for each resident's unit
• Wellness and exercise programs
• Medication management
• Personal laundry services
• Social and recreational activities

Costs can vary depending on the particular senior living community chosen, apartment or room size, and the types of services needed by the individual resident. According to the 2006 Overview of Assisted Living, one of the most recent price surveys available, across the nation the median monthly rate per resident is $2,350.00, generally less than the cost of home health services and nursing home care. A basic assisted living fee may cover all services or there may be additional charges for special services. Most assisted living residences charge month-to-month rates, but some communities require long-term lease arrangements.

Residents or their families generally pay the cost of senior living accommodations and care from their own financial resources. However, depending on an individual's insurance program or long-term care insurance policy, costs may sometimes be reimbursed. Some state and local governments offer subsidies for rent or services for low-income elders, while others may provide subsidies in the form of an additional payment for those who receive Supplemental Security Income or Medicaid. Some states also utilize Medicaid waiver programs to help pay for assisted living services.

According to the Assisted Living Federation of America, more than a million Americans currently live in an estimated 20,000 senior living communities. Senior living residents can be young or old, affluent or low income, frail or disabled. A typical resident is a woman in her eighties who is either widowed or single.

Senior living communities can range from single-story, institutional-looking buildings to high-end, multi-story apartment complexes that resemble hotels or country clubs. Most senior living communities have between 25 and 120 units. There is no one single design, as consumers' preferences and needs can vary widely. Units may vary in size from one room with a shared bathroom, to a full, private apartment with a private bathroom, kitchenette, living room and even one or more bedrooms.

There is much to consider when choosing a senior living community for a loved one and the task is often overwhelming for many elders and their families. To get started, consider contacting your physician, co-workers, neighbors or your local chamber of commerce for recommendations or lists of senior living communities. When you visit senior living communities to see which one may be right for you, your evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Is the staff caring, experienced and professional?
• Is the exterior landscaping attractive and the interior décor attractive and homelike?
• Do the residents who live there appear happy and healthy?
• Does the community offer a variety of fun and interesting activities and wellness programs?
• Is the community clean and odor-free?
• Are additional services available if the needs of your loved one change?
• Is the food prepared by experienced chefs, flavorful and presented in an attractive manner?

The above is but a very short list of things to consider. The Assisted Living Federation of America maintains a website, http://www.alfa.org/, which contains additional helpful information and checklists to help consumers choose a senior living community that is right for them.

So do your homework, find the senior living community that best suits your needs and then rest assured that your loved one will be cared for with the dignity, respect and compassion they deserve, providing you with peace of mind.

This page is updated often, so please check back for new assisted living news, links, and information.

(About the author: Gregory Klick is a freelance writer based in Minden, Nevada. He has been an executive in the healthcare industry for 25 years, spending nearly a decade in the senior housing industry. Mr. Klick holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and is licensed by the State of Nevada as a Residential Facility Administrator. He may be contacted at gaklick@aol.com.)