What is Senior Living?
Senior Living is the phrase we use to describe the many varieties of housing options and lifestyle choices available to our well-deserving older adults.
For some, these decisions are being carefully made with the help of caring family members who are now looking at different types of care services and exploring the kinds of care and amenities communities offer to their loved ones.
It may be that a parent or relative is no longer able to live on their own and would benefit most from an assisted living community with skilled nursing and the appropriate levels of care. Or, perhaps an aunt or close family friend has been diagnosed with early stages of dementia and a highly qualified memory care community would provide the most stability for everyone to ensure your loved one’s safety and comfort. For others, this season of life is full of activity and freedom, as you are now beginning to create the kind of retirement you have been dreaming about for years.
Independent living communities make an excellent option as they can provide an exciting amount of freedom, simplicity, and social connection. Other Senior Living options can include in-home care, 55 plus communities with age restrictions that offer active lifestyle opportunities without the home and property maintenance, and skilled nursing care.
Senior Living – Modern Experience
The modern senior living experience provides options, quality medical care, independent and assisted living based on your needs, social connections, and plenty of adventures for active adults focussed on their health and wellness.
Senior Living – Levels Of Care
Independent Living
Some things to take into consideration when choosing a senior living community are location, medical care, amenities, social connections, and adventures.
Staying in the same city and area you are currently living in is a common choice for retirees. This may also be a time when you think about moving closer to family members like kids or grandkids. Maybe you have thought about returning to an area that was significant to you or your family at an earlier time in your life. The impact of climate on certain conditions like arthritis, asthma, and allergies also helps to choose a good location. Landscapes and views you already enjoy will enhance your living experience as well.
Independent living communities provide access to professional licensed nurses to answer any questions and help you work towards your healthy lifestyle goals.
One of the most appealing aspects of independent senior living is that it provides all the comfort of home, where residents live without the concerns of housekeeping, cooking, yard upkeep, or home repairs, and is designed for seniors who enjoy abundant choices to accommodate their retirement dreams. You can relish a full-service maintenance-free lifestyle and choose to spend your time pursuing your interests, education, and adventures however you like.
Most communities will have activities and educational programs to accommodate your desire for social connection through the adventures of shared interests. Enthusiasm for things such as art, golf, continuing education, strategy-based games, travel, outdoor exploration, and shopping can be easily enjoyed independently or with peers who share your interests.
Many happy independent living seniors often say that they wish they had chosen independent living even sooner. It can be a lifestyle choice that satisfies your forward-thinking as you plan for your future and begin following your passions now.
Assisted Living
Assisted living offers you a refined independent lifestyle with all of the assistance you may need and provides specialized community environments with personalized care models. Seniors who can not, or choose not to live independently, can enjoy a lifestyle of safety, comfort, and connection in an assisted living community.
Assisted living communities to provide registered nurses or licensed nurses on-site to support residents and handle medical conditions for those with assisted living needs.
One of the great benefits of assisted living is that it provides all the comforts of home, where residents live without the concerns of housekeeping, yard maintenance, cooking, or home repairs. In addition, assisted living communities also provide activities and educational programs to accommodate your desire for social connection and continued learning.
Memory Care
For those living with a form of dementia, Alzheimer’s, or memory loss, memory care communities provide housing, 24-hour care, and a safe specialized environment for residents with a daily focus on reducing disorientation and enhancing the quality of life. Teams of professionally trained and licensed staff are available for round-the-clock care and supervision to help residents with all medical needs.
While dementia and Alzheimers can not be cured, some specific techniques and activities can be performed for enhancing memory and cognitive stimulation. Dementia is most often progressive which means that symptoms may worsen over time. As symptoms increase and become difficult to manage, the added burden and stress often experienced by caregivers and family members can become overwhelming and the reality may be that it is no longer safe for a loved one to be living at home.
Professionally trained staff are there to help with the activities of daily living (ADLs) such as dressing, bathing, using the toilet, and medicine management. Memory care staff also provide incredible support to the families and caregivers.
The safety and comfort of residents are the utmost priority in memory care communities. Designed to reduce confusion, memory care communities provide secure environments with locked exterior doors and often have enclosed courtyards or patios to provide safe ways to enjoy time outside. Well-identified and personalized spaces with reduced noise create familiarity and offer distinct intentional details to help create an essence of calm and safety for all memory care residents.
In-Home Care
Another type of senior living is in-home care. In-home care is typically a non-medical service and assistance that meets the needs of older adults to age in place and receive professional licensed medical care and support services while living safely in the comfort of their own home or the home of their caregiver.
The desire to remain in a current home can be for many reasons including a preference to stay closely connected to a familiar and cherished home, financial necessity, and preserve independence. In-home care can help ensure that aging in place is safe and also brings relief to other caregivers as well.
Services can include assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) like meal preparation, transportation, companionship, bathing, helping with mobility and hygiene. In-home care can be provided for any range of daily or weekly hours depending on each individual’s needs and can be a helpful option for many seniors and their families.
Skilled Nursing Care
Skilled Nursing is a form of care given to seniors who require the supervision of professional licensed nurses for medical treatment. A skilled nursing facility provides short to long-term supervised care to help older adults to regain the ability to function independently. After a release from a hospital due to experiencing possibly surgery, injury, stroke, or heart and respiratory conditions, some rehabilitation may still be necessary.
Skilled nursing facilities will stay connected with local hospitals in case a resident needs any emergency care and are generally a temporary housing option that may be covered in part by Medicare, Medicaid, or private health insurance.
Benefits of Senior Living
There are a lot of benefits to a senior living community when you consider the level of care, kinds of adventures, or amount of independence or assistance you or your loved ones would like to experience or need to have provided after retirement. For some, it is vital to think ahead and prepare for the future by considering how many times they would like to move in their senior years.
If independent living is an option and the community also has assisted living housing on-site, it might be beneficial to move only once, knowing that selling a home, cleaning through belongings to keep what is most important are having finances in order are taken care of and you are now able to focus on how you would like to spend your time going forward.
You may have a loved one who is capable of enjoying some independence but also needs the added help and supervision for a few of their activities of daily living (ADLs) and recognize how beneficial an assisted living community would be both for your loved one and their families as well. The safety, comfort, and assistance that can be found in the many senior living options can provide much-needed peace of mind for seniors looking for both independence and care after retirement.
