Services

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Assisted Living can be an excellent option for many seniors.

The assisted living level of care is for seniors who could be frail, but do not need 24-hour medical nursing care. They sometimes need help with activities such as housecleaning, meals, dressing, and medication reminders and monitoring. The average assisted living resident is 84 years old and needs help with two or three of the activities mentioned above.

Some seniors move into assisted living because living alone may not be safe for them due to the risk of falling, increased memory difficulty or the risk of taking the wrong medication or an incorrect dosage. Many times moving into assisted living can help you avoid the need for a nursing home altogether.

Assisted Living provides meals, personal care assistance (help with showering, dressing and personal hygiene), medication reminders, weekly laundering of towels and bed linens, trash removal, weekly housekeeping, social and cultural activities, wellness programs including daily exercise classes, social events, family activities and more!

Visions of people in wheelchairs lined up against the walls are nowhere near the reality of what assisted living life is. Most Assisted Living residents are very independent of body and spirit. Many just needed a little more help that was available for them at home.

Before moving into Assisted Living, most residents lived within a 5-mile radius of the community. Most residents have family members or close friends that live nearby and visit. Some residents leave the community for dinner with family and friends, or simply visit with them. Assisted Living Communities are not locked, it is more like living independently in their own home with the exception of services and supervision being provided.

In the average community, about 80% of assisted living residents are women usually widowed and some have compared Assisted Living to living on a cruise ship.

The cost of Assisted Living varies greatly from state to state and from community to community. Some Assisted Living Communities are cost-inclusive, meaning that the cost includes the room and all care services. Others separate the cost of the room and care services. This care service cost varies based the on kind of care and the amount of hands-on care that is needed. However, assisted living can start from $1,800.00 per month to over $10,000.00 per month in some areas of the country. Your American Family Solutions Advisor is an expert in your area and knows all the services and costs associated with them.

Medicare does not pay for Assisted Living services. However, Medicaid does pay for some assisted living services in some states. Your loved one would have to qualify both medically and financially in a Medicaid-approved facility in order to receive services.

An Independent Living community Nationwide is for those seniors who can care for themselves but are needing more socialization with others.  There are several things to consider to understand when Independent Living may be a benefit for your loved one(s).  A tall tale sign is a sudden or gradual decline in socialization.

Friends move away or pass away leaving your parent(s) feeling isolated or depressed.  A lack of socialization has been linked to elderly depression.  Sometimes with those feelings seniors tend to be less active in the community.  You may notice them driving less than they used to, or not going to the bank or shopping as much.

These feelings could also explain why they could be missing doctor appointments or are late for activities that they have planned.

Independent Living brings with it a "hassle-free" life. No more raking leaves or taking out the garbage. Some Independent Living communities offer housekeeping, medication reminders and dining services. Socialization with others is the huge benefit of this level of senior living.

Independent Living prices vary greatly based on the number of services that are offered. The national average for senior independent living is $2,750 per month. Some communities can be less without added services, while high end independent living with all the "bells and whistles" can be upwords of $9,000 or more per month. Your CarePatrol Local Advisor can direct you to an Independent Living community to meet all your needs and price points.

The good news nowadays is that there are many alternatives to a nursing home. The bad news is that families and physicians don’t know about them. Nursing care these days are for the sickest of the sick.

Twenty years ago, any senior could check themselves into a nursing home, even if they only needed supervision. Now, most seniors that go to a nursing home are being admitted short term after a hospital stay. Traditional Medicare will only pay for nursing care after a hospital stay of 3 nights, and that is only if there is a true medical need for round-the-clock nurses.

Senior Living options Nationwide and alternatives to a nursing home include Assisted Living and Memory Care Communities. Most seniors and families that call a CarePatrol Advisor claim that they need a nursing home, when in fact, assisted living would meet their needs much better.

The average national cost of a nursing home is over $8,200 per month. This can easily go as high as $100,000 per year. Alternatives to a nursing home are much more affordable and can deliver a higher quality of life. Call your CarePatrol Advisor to discuss if your loved one is appropriate for an alternative to a nursing home, like assisted living, memory care, independent living or an in-home caregiver.

Memory Care is a specialized type of assisted living care which focuses on people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of Dementia.  Residents engage in structured activities by specially trained staff designed to assist those with memory problems.  

Memory Care Communities usually have much fewer residents than assisted living.  Some Assisted Living Communities have designated wings for Memory Care programs.  This makes it easier if one spouse required assisted living or independent living services, while the other needed Memory Care.  

The rooms in Memory Care are usually a little smaller to make it more manageable for your loved one.  Cognitive decline does not always mean a lesser quality of life.  Your AFS Advisor is an excellent guide to finding appropriate and safer memory care communities.

Memory Care Communities Nationwide provide specialized activities for residents as well as: meals, personal care assistance (help with showering, dressing and personal hygiene), medication reminders, weekly laundering of towels and bed linens, trash removal, weekly housekeeping, social and cultural activities, wellness programs including daily exercise classes, social events, family activities and more!

Memory Care is more expensive than the Assisted Living options mainly due to the increase in quality and quantity of staffing. Cost can range from $3,500 per month to $12,000 per month depending on the region of the United States and the amount of hands-on care that is needed.