Once you know your housing choices, you can choose between popular communities, such as Sunrise Senior Living and Five Star Senior Living. Many communities, such as Five Star, offer more than one type of senior housing. Therefore, it is essential to learn about the services for each kind of housing to make an informed decision.
There are several types of senior living options and communities, including:
By learning more about each of your options as a senior citizen, you can narrow down your choices for housing.
Senior Living and Staying at Home
Some seniors decide to stay at home and continue to live independently. While this may not be an option for everyone, staying at home does provide some benefits, including:
If you own your own home, you can have your home altered to become more disability accessible to help with any mobility problems you may develop. While yard maintenance and home repair are important aspects of being a homeowner, you may also choose to hire an agency to handle maintenance on your behalf.
The most crucial factor in choosing to remain at home is whether or not you are capable of doing so. Many seniors retain most, if not all of their independence. However, some seniors, particularly those with chronic health conditions, may need extra help.
While this type of senior living has its perks, it is not without its drawbacks. When deciding whether or not to stay at home, you should also ask yourself if you have a sense of community at home. Do you get lonely? One of the best benefits that other senior housing options have to offer is a greater sense of community and a wealth of social activities.
Independent senior living, also known as senior apartments, are communities of senior citizens that live independently. These communities do not usually offer the types of services that you can find in assisted living facilities and nursing homes.
However, an independent senior living community may offer benefits such as:
It is common for services to incur extra fees. Many senior communities have age restrictions that must be met before a senior can move into the community. However, there are some exceptions, such as a spouse who does not yet meet the age requirement.
This form of senior living may host other types of amenities that are found in typical apartments, such as pet-friendly units, furnished units, laundry on-site, and more.
Assisted living facilities are another excellent option for senior citizens. Assisted living facilities, such as Sunrise Senior Living, offer some medical services in apartment-style living. Most facilities allow seniors to live primarily independently with some assistance on as-needed basis. An assisted living facility may offer services such as:
These facilities do not offer the level of medical care provided by nursing homes. They are recommended for seniors who can either live completely independently or only need some assistance.
If you are looking for senior living opportunities where a lot of medical care is provided, a nursing home may be the best option for you. Nursing homes are capable of providing more intensive, around-the-clock care compared to assisted living facilities.
Nursing homes employ licensed physicians and nurses to help provide care. This form of housing is generally ideal for senior citizens who have chronic, critical, or worsening conditions that may impair their ability to live independently.
Nursing homes also provide community activities for residents. Residents may have their own room, or they may have shared rooms, depending on the nursing home.
Finally, senior living in a retirement community commonly provides options for independent living, assisted living, and nursing homes. These communities are usually able to move residents to different types of facilities should they need a higher level of care. For example, a resident may choose to live in an assisted living facility while they can live more independently and then live in a nursing home once required.
While retirement communities can offer all of the benefits of other senior housing options, these communities are commonly the most expensive option. Seniors typically must pay for services upfront or at renewable contract periods.
