Assisted living is personalized care for seniors provided in a residential setting, along with activities and services to make life more enjoyable. Seniors in assisted living facilities can expect nutritious meals, a wide range of social activities to cater to a variety of interests, and a sense of community. While they may have some health problems, seniors in assisted living don’t require the 24-hour medical care and supervision that nursing homes provide. However, caregivers in assisted living facilities are available day or night to offer assistance as needed. If you’ve noticed signs that your loved one would benefit from a helping hand or have started to talk about senior care options, this guide to assisted living can help.
“Assisted living offers a level of safety and security as well as peace of mind for families,” says Niki Gewirtz, who served in leadership roles at assisted living communities for over a decade before joining A Place for Mom. “So they’ll have around-the-clock caregivers, nursing oversight, and assistance with personal care needs that seniors may need on a daily basis that keep them from being able to live at home safely.”
Some families may struggle with the decision to consider assisted living for their loved one, but there may come a time when it’s no longer safe for a senior to live on their own. Look for signs of cognitive decline or changes in your loved one’s appearance and hygiene. Families who are caring for an aging loved one at home may find they need more help or realize this living arrangement is hurting their relationship. Or, they may reach a point when the stress of caregiving is affecting the caregiver’s health.
Beginning the discussion and search for assisted living when your loved one can be part of the decision is preferable to waiting until a crisis and moving, for example, after a hospital discharge. Read on to learn more about signs it’s time to consider assisted living and how to have conversations with your loved one about the transition.
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Assisted living offers a social, active, and maintenance-free lifestyle for older adults who need some help with daily tasks. Assisted living residents receive the care they need while maintaining independence in a vibrant community that offers many opportunities to stay engaged. Typical assisted living services include transportation, housekeeping and laundry, and apartment maintenance. Since care is a primary focus, seniors can also expect help with personal care that’s tailored to their unique needs, including mobility assistance, medication management, and care coordination.
Assisted living is a popular care type with a growing demand. When considering your senior care options, you’ll come across several types of senior living. While other senior care types may offer similar services to assisted living, there are some important differences worth noting, including the types and levels of care offered to residents.
Assisted living costs vary from one community to the next. Key factors determining elder care costs include location, community amenities, apartment size, and how much help your loved one needs. Different pricing models also affect costs. For example, while some assisted living facilities may be all-inclusive, others charge for services a la carte based on the resident’s needs.
Typically, an assisted living base fee will cover housing, utilities, meals and snacks, weekly housekeeping, transportation to doctor’s appointments, and social activities, although some outings or amenities may cost extra. Additional expenses may include help with personal care, in-unit internet service, beauty and barber services, laundry, and pet fees.
You may feel overwhelmed with choices when it’s time to find an assisted living facility for your loved one. Ultimately, there’s no substitute for visiting a community and experiencing a typical day. Touring an assisted living facility provides opportunities to see the building, assess cleanliness, witness staff interactions with residents, try a meal, participate in activities, and talk to other residents. Most assisted living facilities also offer virtual tours if an in-person visit isn’t possible.
One strategy is to tour several communities yourself and then bring your parent to your top two choices, keeping in mind which communities are most likely to appeal to them. Once you’ve chosen a community, staff may be able to refer you to move managers and help remove the moving boxes from the room after everything is unpacked. If you’re stressed about moving day, plan ahead and consider finding expert assistance to help with this major transition.
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A Place for Mom has the largest network of senior living communities and home care providers in the nation. We enable caregivers to make the best decisions for their loves ones.
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QA. This text is coming from CMS under the post type "Care Types > care type". Assisted living facilities offer housing and care for active seniors who may need support with activities of daily living, like bathing, dressing, and medication management.
QA. This text is coming from CMS under the post type “Care Types > care type”. The score shown is the overall experience rating which is an average of the reviews submitted for those communities. The overall experience rating is a star rating that ranges from 1 being the lowest to 5 being the highest.
Below are the 51 largest cities grouped by their metropolitan area.
Top states for Assisted Living
The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical, legal or financial advice or create a professional relationship between A Place for Mom and the reader. Always seek the advice of your health care provider, attorney or financial advisor with respect to any particular matter, and do not act or refrain from acting on the basis of anything you have read on this site. Links to third-party websites are only for the convenience of the reader; A Place for Mom does not endorse the contents of the third-party sites.