Most Popular Senior Care and Retirement Options

The decision to move your senior into the right kind of living facility during old age can be tricky. In this post, we look at myriad options and which ones make sense under different circumstances. The goal is to help the readers make an informed decision.

Here they are…

Aging-in-Place

Also known as independent living or at-home care, aging in place is ideal for seniors who can manage with minimal care and who need help with ADLs (Activities of Daily Living).

Many government-sponsored programs promote and support independent living. This kind of arrangement works best for individuals who have someone to look after them. To assess the level of care needed, it’s better if families work with a geriatric care expert.

As long as a family is ready to work with a healthcare expert and provide the necessary kind of modification, aging-in-place can be one of the best forms of senior living arrangements possible.

Assisted Living Community

An assisted senior living community is quite similar to a home care option in that the person gets to live in a highly sociable environment. Usually, this kind of facility is best for elderly people who need some level of assistance with their everyday tasks but the help is not needed round-the-clock.

Seniors get the freedom to live in their private apartment/home. Because of the social feel, they get to partake in recreational activities while also enjoying help with meals, laundry, medication, housekeeping, and medical care.

Many assisted facilities will have a special unit to take care of those with dementia and Alzheimer’s. These units are highly secure and specially crafted to create a safe environment so dementia sufferers don’t wander away accidentally.

The upside to this facility is that it’s an all-inclusive with medical support, daily specialized care, and independence. However, on the downside, the person may have to move away from the family for long distances to reside in an assisted living.

Nursing Homes

Nursing homes are for those with some kind of paralyzing illness and need intense care and support 24/7. The overall feel of a nursing home is like that of a hospital.

To enter one such facility, an outsider would need medical permission from the physician. There is medical help available all the time. And, the nurses are also available on the floor in case of emergencies.

Nursing homes offer supervised personal care such as help with eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, social activities, speech therapy, and 3 meals a day.

There are two categories of nursing homes – skilled nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities. While the former offers 24-hour supervision the latter offers close to 8 hours of medical supervision.

This particular senior care facility is regulated by the state and only licensed personnel can run it. Most nursing homes accept Medicaid so those who are low on funding may find it a useful option.

Independent Living Communities

Independent living communities are designed for seniors exclusively. In a typical facility, you can find retirement homes, senior apartments, senior housing, and retirement communities.

This type of setting is good for anyone who wants to reside in a social and active community. Anyone who doesn’t like the headache of everyday chores like housekeeping, cooking, and maintenance.

A typical independent community looks like a mini campus where seniors live together in a socialized setting. The sense of community and independence are two of the highlighting aspects of this facility.

Alzheimer’s/Memory Care

Alzheimer’s and dementia care facilities can either be a part of an assisted living community, a continuing care community, or a nursing home. Or, they can also be a stand-alone unit. Regardless, they are designed to care for patients with memory issues such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Because memory care homes are geared towards a special kind of senior citizens, there is medically trained staff available all the time with tight security. This kind of arrangement supports independent and dignified living for those with different stages of dementia. Everything from nutritious meals, activities, therapy, and living arrangements are designed to elevate the quality of life.

Related: Vivante Newport Center (Luxury Assisted Living & Memory Care)

Continuing Care Retirement Communities aka CCRCs

You can think of a CCRC as a combination of assisted living, skilled nursing facility, and an independent living community.

A continuing-care community is ideal for seniors who are comfortable living in one place and the same community for their entire life and who don’t want to bear the burden of continually making new arrangements for changing future needs.

The CCRCs are also good for senior couples who want to live together as it allows them to spend their days in one place even if one of them demands higher care with advancing age.

Here’s how this facility works – a resident can begin by living in an independent living section of the community. And as they need more intense care, they can move to more medically advanced parts of the facility, such as assisted living.

Because these places allow varying levels of care within the same community, they tend to be more expensive than other living options.

Frail Care

As the name suggests, Frail Care is for older individuals who need intense levels of care due to mental and physical incapacity. Such individuals can no longer look after themselves and need help with almost everything. Frail Care has dedicated staff to help them with nutrition, personal hygiene, and medical care.

Most of the seniors who opt for this facility are wheelchair-bound, bedridden, or suffering from later stages of memory issues. The all-inclusive, medically supervised, the safe environment makes it good for people with deep medical issues.

Bottom Line

So, these are some of the most famous senior care and retirement options to pick from. Hopefully, you can better navigate your options now.