Rental Communities with more than one level of care entered the
mainstream in the last ten years. People are healthier and living
longer than ever before and are facing the fact that they cannot stay
in their own homes and experience the same quality of life that they
are used too indefinitely. It is rarely possible to make your own home
as safe as it is in an ALF (Assisted Living Facility) and home care can
become a big expense.
Assisted Living is a residential facility, not licensed as a nursing
home, that provides personal care and support services. These
communities go by a variety of names and are often part of or
affiliated with independent communities or nursing care facilities.
Down sizing, failing health, and financial considerations are the key
issues involved when considering a Rental Community as a viable option
to senior housing.
The services in these communities run the gamut from plain and
functional to grand and opulent. The communities that offer two levels
of care are the most common. These facilities evolved out of the need
to accommodate their residents as they grew older and needed more care.
Assisted Living Facilities, in contrast to a Skilled Facility, gives
more thought and consideration to helping residents live a normal and
less regimented life. Assisted Living gives a kind of home care in that
your get care in your own apartment, not in an institution. In a
nursing home, power lies with the provider, in an Assisted Living
Facility the power is still in the hands of the consumer.
Assisted Living Facilities cater to the needs of an older group of
people. They respond to the fact that many older people need help
performing some activities of daily living (bathing assistance, help
buttoning buttons, help taking medications, or paying bills). If you
are having trouble with cooking, shopping, housekeeping, bathing,
dressing or just plain getting around in a safe and timely fashion it
may be time to look into an ALF.
Assisted Living Facilities are almost always rental properties. For a
month fee, you get an apartment (including utilities), three meals a
day, housekeeping, laundry and line services, an emergency call system,
and usually assistance with various chores at an additional fee. You
may feel that you are being charged too much for things like putting on
your elastic hose, but it is going to cost considerable less than
arranging for an outside home service. Medication assistance services
includes a general health monitor and someone to intervene between
yourself, your family and with your physician.
In response to the growing need for even more care than an Assisted
Living area is able to provide is the new concept of three, four and
even five levels of care. The second level is the Skilled Nursing
section, the fourth an Alzheimer’s Unit and the fifth level might be an
Adult Day Care Center open to Seniors living outside of the community.
You are not necessarily guaranteed a place in the next level of care in
your community. It is necessary for your facility to keep the census up
in order to meet their expenses, so there may not be a vacancy for you
when the need arises.
The cost difference from independent living to assisted living ranges
from 25% to 60%. You should also be aware that the decision to move
from one level of care to another is not determined by the resident as
much as by a team of people (including yourself, your family, and
representatives of the community).
Only few old people can also understand that fact. When they get old, they have a place that their children prepare for them. When being old also, they should know how to be extra careful with their health because they more prone to many diseases.
Posted by: Janice Whitney | January 25, 2013 at 12:05 PM