A Place for Mom is the single largest source of occupancy for the senior care industry. It has Senior Living Advisors across the country and 110 call center professionals assist more than 60,000 families per month find senior housing and care options. As a preferred service provider for A Place for Mom, your Columbus, Ohio mover E.E. Ward would like to share seven facts from “Senior Living News for Professionals” you may not know about assisted living:
Not all assisted living communities are equal. Some provide lighter care, and some can even provide care for those who are bedridden or who need help eating while still remaining in assisted living as opposed to a nursing home. It is important for you to choose the right one.
Care aside, the look and feel of communities varies as well. Some communities have a more formal, traditional design sensibility, while others may have a more home-like, down to earth ambiance. The range of senior community designs is on display in the ALFA 2012 Senior Living by Design Awards. Assisted living communities come in all shapes and sizes.
Smaller communities usually offer a homelike atmosphere while the larger communities offer an abundance of interest clubs, recreational opportunities, and acreage for recreation.
Senior living communities have different pet policies with specific weight limits and breed restrictions, so it’s important to do your research. So make sure to contact your communities of choice and ask about their particular pet policy.
Assisted living is often less expensive than home health or nursing home care in the same geographic area. According to the 2012 A Place for Mom Cost of Senior Care Survey, the national average rate for a one-bedroom apartment is approximately $3,300 per month. While 86.2% of assisted living residents pay from their personal financial resources, 41 states offer “home and community-based waivers” that allow low-income residents to live in assisted living.
Additionally, more seniors are purchasing long-term care insurance to help plan for and finance their long-term care needs. Wartime veterans and their spouses may eligible for VA benefits known as Aid and Attendance that can offset the cost of care.
Our research suggests that many families believe they need nursing homes for their ailing older loved one when in fact assisted living is the most appropriate option. An assessment by an advisor or medical professional is the best way to determine the care type needed, but some general distinctions can be drawn between assisted living and nursing homes.
An increasing number of assisted living communities are designed to meet the unique cultural, religious, dietary and language-based needs of local populations. On the West Coast, there are many Asian senior communities. Our corporate partner, Aegis of Newcastle recently broke ground on a new community designed to meet the needs of the predominantly Chinese population in the area. As America simultaneously diversifies and ages, we’re bound to see an ever increasing demand for niche retirement communities, including golf-oriented communities, LGBT-oriented communities.
Many assisted living facilities offer dedicated Alzheimer’s memory care programs for residents which are designed to decrease wandering, agitation and improve their quality of life. Generally residents with early stage Alzheimer’s or dementia can live among the regular population of assisted living residents, but when the condition becomes advanced, residents are then transitioned from the regular assisted living section to the memory care area.
For more in-depth information about the facts about assisted living, read our article on How Pet Therapy Has Changed Assisted Living. If you are facing with finding the best senior living mover for your loved ones, call E.E. Ward! We are the Columbus senior movers who many senior facilities call upon to move new residents into their facility or within their facility.
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