Resources
Financial: Paying for senior housing can be difficult and complex. Senior Care Partners is dedicated to answering those questions and connecting our clients with the right resources. If you have any questions on how to pay for senior housing, please contact us through our portal.
Legal: Legal issues arise in many situations when dealing with seniors and their livelihood. Many of these issues include Wills, Power of Attorney, Guardianships, and Estate Planning. Senior Care Partners can help ease these concerns and connect you with resources that can help solve these complex problems.
Moving, Organizing, and Down-Sizing: There is a physical and emotional burden moving a loved one into a senior community. Senior Care Partners teams up with great movers, organizers, and estate sale companies to ease the transition into a community.
Understanding Senior Housing:
- Independent Living: In these types of communities, residents are free to come and go while maintaining their independent living lifestyle in an apartment, condo, or suite. These communities have a wide variety of individual and communal amenities which are accessible for all residents. Typical amenities are full-service dining rooms, common area, fitness centers, salons, weekly housekeeping and activities geared toward more active seniors. These communities are usually only staffed by security or concierge staff 24-hours a day. There are a wide variety of safety measures that are taken with these communities and each community is different.
- These communities do not have any healthcare staff present for activities of daily living (ADLs) or medications that is included in the pricing structure. Many communities do utilize personal care attendants for additional costs.
- Assisted Living: These types of communities are designed for individuals who do not need around the clock ADL support, but scheduled support throughout the day. This care usually includes medication management and assistance with activities of daily living. The term ADLs refer to care items such as bathing, dressing, toileting, transfer assistance, and grooming. As Assisted Livings have evolved many of these communities offer similar amenities as independent living communities. The largest difference from Independent Living is that assisted living communities have clinical staff to ensure resident safety throughout the night.
- Memory Care: These types of communities offer the same medical assistance as Assisted Living. Where these communities differ is these areas or communities are locked to prevent harm to residents. Additionally, these communities offer a special type of programming and dining setting to better meet the needs of residents. While there is no staffing requirement, these communities or areas have more robust staffing to help meet the needs of the residents.
- Long-Term Care (LTC): These communities are designed for residents who need to complete all or most of their ADLs throughout the day. These communities are required to have more skilled staff at higher staffing ratios. The environment is more of a clinical nature. The facility provides activities, meals, and engagement opportunities throughout the day. This would be permanent residence for a client. This is a private pay entity. There is the ability to spend down assets to acquire Medicaid.
- Skilled Nursing: Skilled Nursing is usually an area of a LTC community dedicated to the rehabilitation of a resident. The amenities of these communities are the same as a LTC facility, but the focus is solely on rehabilitation. The focus areas of rehabilitation are physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. These disciplines must be signed off by a physician. While LTC is private pay, rehabilitation is paid through insurance (usually Medicare). At Senior Care Partners, we are happy to review and explain your coverage, or reference you to the proper resource.