And What Makes Someone a Good Candidate For Each
For people considering senior living for a loved one or themselves, remaining independent is most often the primary concern. Staying in your home is comfortable and familiar and often feels like the ideal scenario. However, being at home alone can be isolating and requires regular house maintenance and endless chores. Getting older and having health issues can make all those responsibilities challenging to keep up with.
A lot of emotions come into play when considering a senior living community, including understanding the different types of communities there are. Senior living allows seniors to take advantage of newfound freedom, even if they need a little assistance with daily activities from time to time.
The three major categories of senior living include independent living, assisted living, and memory care. Let’s explore the differences between these types of care and how family members and caregivers can identify the right one for their loved ones.
1. INDEPENDENT LIVING
What is Independent Living?
Independent living (a.k.a. retirement communities) is for self-sufficient active adults who choose to live independently and have a lifestyle free from domestic duties and maintenance.
An independent living community is usually an age-restricted apartment complex for older adults with meal services, organized recreational activities, and transportation. It is perfect for those who want to live amongst people their age. Independent living offers:
- Community involvement
- Continuing sense of self
- Maintenance-free living
- Onsite and off-site activities, like yoga in a fitness center, gardening, or dancing
- Basic services like meals, laundry, housekeeping, and transportation
Independent living residents do not have regular contact with the staff if they don’t wish; it all depends on the senior’s preferences. Many seniors in these communities lead long and healthy lives without the need for additional care.
What Makes Someone a Good Candidate for Independent Living?
Independent living is best suited for older adults who require little to no assistance with their activities of daily living. However, they may be starting to feel the strain of maintaining their existing homes, so they could benefit from residential care. Overall, it’s a great option for active seniors looking to downsize!
Having medical needs doesn’t disqualify someone, but they won’t be provided with the community’s amenities. People with medical conditions that don’t interrupt basic activities of daily living thrive in this environment.
Depending on the independent living community they choose, residents enjoy bright, open private rooms or even single-family homes. They also have many enjoyable social events to participate in with friends and neighbors, boosting their overall quality of life.
2. ASSISTED LIVING
What is Assisted Living?
Assisted living senior care is for those who need a little bit of support with daily tasks. Most seniors live in an apartment close to other community members.
Assisted living is the perfect senior living option for people who can no longer live alone but do not need intensive skilled nursing care. There is help available 24/7 with the simple push of a button, so seniors can get assistance with basic life tasks when and where they need it, including:
- Cleaning and laundry
- Medication management
- Bathing, grooming, toileting, and support with other ADLs
- Making doctor’s appointments
- Transportation and entertainment
In assisted living, the staff and medical care providers are available 24/7 to check in on residents. Although they don’t diagnose medical conditions, they stay in touch with seniors to ensure they thrive. A significant benefit of assisted living is that it offers families and friends peace of mind that their loved one is being looked out for with high-quality health services.
In many cases, seniors in assisted living communities have degenerative health conditions that can worsen with time. As needs change, these seniors will require more extensive skilled care. Therefore, many assisted living communities offer options to transition to nursing homes or memory care.
What Makes Someone a Good Candidate for Assisted Living Services?
If your loved one requires medical assistance and has difficulty with daily tasks such as cooking and cleaning, it may be a good time to consider assisted living. More than half of assisted living residents are 85 or older, and nearly 40% require assistance with three or more types of daily living.
Assisted living also provides more skilled nursing services and supervision than independent living communities. Other long-term care services include housekeeping, laundry services, meals, planned outings, social activities, transportation, and exercise programs.
3. MEMORY CARE
What is Memory Care?
A memory care community is for people who live with Alzheimer’s or dementia. It is also convenient for family members because the atmosphere is designed with the residents’ peace of mind as a high priority. The staff provide meals and assist with personal care like in an assisted living community, but they also have special training to deal with the unique issues associated with memory issues.
Residents in memory care receive more frequent check-ins and are given extra structure and support throughout the day. Medical professionals ensure that residents get to their meals and attend social opportunities to boost their overall well-being. The communities are equipped with alarmed doors, enclosed outdoor spaces, and elevator codes to keep residents from wandering and getting lost.
What Makes Someone a Good Candidate for Memory Care?
The early stages of Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia don’t always interfere with a person’s independence, particularly if they receive in-home care, but memory care might be necessary at some point in the near future. Here are a few questions you can use to determine whether it’s time to consider moving into a community over home health care:
- Is the person safe in their home?
- Is the person’s health at risk with their current level of care?
- Are their care needs more than the current caregiver can meet?
- Is their care causing too much strain in the other areas of the caregiver’s life?
- Could the person benefit from the structure and social interaction offered by memory care?
If you answered yes to these questions, then that person is most likely a good candidate for memory care.
Making the Right Senior Care Choice for You or Your Loved One
The transition to any senior care option can be a difficult one to make, but these communities exist to make residents’ lives safer, easier, and more enjoyable. There are many other senior housing options that you can learn more about, such as continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), skilled nursing facilities, and more.
If you’re interested in assisted living, memory care, or short-term respite care with Avista, contact us for more information or click here to find a senior living community and schedule a visit!
Disclaimers: This article is for informational purposes only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. This article makes no health claims, direct or implied.