Becoming a part of a vibrant, social community that can support you as your needs change is the main attraction of Assisted Living. Many residents are supported through hospice and end-of-life in this setting. Residents can maintain their independence by setting up their studio, one- or two-bedroom apartments, complete with their own furniture, a kitchenette, or full kitchen, and a private bathroom. A move to assisted living can be the beginning of a whole new season focused on friends, family, and hobbies. After a move-in, we often hear people remark, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”
You can move into assisted living before needing any care. When care is needed, it is delivered right to you 24/7. Care costs are in addition to the rent. A customized care plan is created for each person receiving care. Scheduled assistance, such as help with taking a shower, getting dressed, and administering medication, is supported in this setting, as well as unscheduled assistance, such as help to the bathroom. Residents are provided with a help button to wear as a necklace, which can be pushed as needed for unscheduled assistance.
Unfortunately, each year we receive calls from people who need to move out of their assisted living home for unforeseen reasons. If you are seeking care in an assisted living facility, please carefully review the Disclosure of Services for each place you are considering. The Disclosure of Services is often handed out during a tour and is always available by request. It’s one thing to know, prior to moving in, that you’ll have to move out if you start needing pureed food; it’s another story altogether to have to leave your friends when you didn’t realize ahead of time that your facility couldn’t provide pureed food that was suddenly needed on an on-going basis after a surgery (let’s say).
Care for people with dementia varies greatly in assisted living communities. Some have a lot of built-in support for people with memory loss or a separate, secure/locked memory care unit, and others do not.
Another common reason people move out is that they can no longer afford it, and the facility does not accept Medicaid.
