When it comes to determining the right level of care for you or your loved one, there is rarely an easy way to do it. The decision itself is often fraught with feelings and can be complicated by the unique circumstances every family brings to the table when considering questions of this nature. However, knowledge is power, as they say, and LivWell Seniors is happy to help with a high-level introduction to the basics that will leave you feeling prepared to take whatever step is next in the journey ahead.

Looking for a living environment that helps with the activities of daily living (ADLs) without compromising on the comfort of coming home to your own, private space? Assisted living might be the right choice for you or your loved one.

What?

Hang the pictures.

Put the furniture in your favorite places.

Settle into a living experience that provides all the comforts of home without many of the responsibilities.

Assisted living has come a long way in the last 30 years. Bright rooms with natural light, private apartments, open common areas, and engaging social calendars all contribute to creating an environment that is anything but the sterile, institutional setting so many of us fear.

Instead, assisted living now more closely resembles what it might be like to live on a cruise ship—a cruise ship that also helps with ADLs like bathing, medication management, toileting, dressing, meal preparation, housekeeping, laundry and transportation. All assistance is provided within the privacy of the apartments, adding to the ease and dignity of the living experience.

Who?

The assisted living level of care is intended for people who are still willing and able to retain a good deal of independence, but who also need some support with their ADLs to be able to do so safely.

Consider This Scenario

After several hospitalizations that indicate some support is needed, a daughter and her aging father tour an assisted living community. He is wheelchair bound but can transfer by himself and wheel himself around to wherever he needs to go. However, he needs help with bathing, dressing, medication management, and transportation. He is reluctant to move in. He doesn’t want to leave his home and is insistent that he will never participate in activities.

After a few weeks, the daughter grows concerned because her father never answers the phone when she calls. She follows up with the assisted living community only to find out that her dad isn’t answering her calls because he is busy being social. He engages with the staff daily and goes to all kinds of activities. He is only in his apartment to sleep, making it difficult for his daughter to catch him on the phone. He starts to entertain visits from his granddaughter who is a gifted piano player, and he has her play for the other residents whenever she visits.

His only complaint is that he didn’t make this choice sooner.

Cost

The average cost for assisted living communities (meals, housekeeping, transportation, utilities) can range from $4,500 to $6,500/month depending on the size of the apartment inclusive of level of care. Studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments are offered.