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There are many factors to consider when helping your aging parent plan where to spend their remaining years. For many elderly loved ones, remaining at home is the ideal option. If mom is no longer able to remain at home independently, consider aging in place vs. the step up in care model. Continued care retirement communities or CCRC may be the best option as these places offer numerous amenities.
Continuing Care Retirement Communities let residents move in while still healthy and active, yet have access to services and care for when their needs change. The community provides a handful of senior living alternatives or care levels at one campus.
Even though certain communities provide more choices than others, most would offer the following levels of care:
If your mother were to move into an independent care facility within continued care retirement communities, she may eventually require assistance with medication administration and bathing, in which case they would simply transition to assisted living in the same community.
This layered approach allows seniors to stay on the same campus close to family, friends or a spouse, even when more care is needed in the future.
Your loved one's experience in a continued care retirement community largely depends on the lifestyle choices they are looking for. Most seniors start with independent living with little to no restrictions regarding how they spend their time.
They are free to pursue their interests, hobbies, receive visitors, and come and go whenever they want. Certain communities even provide flexible dining options.
As care becomes more extensive, residents may have to be more closely monitored and be assisted daily. In various cases, residents get on-site caregiving. Assistance with Activities of Daily Living or ADLs, can be provided within the assisted living portion of a CCRC. Because this is their "home", home health care services can also be provided to include nursing, physical therapy or occupational therapy services. Here is an explanation of Activities of Daily Living.
At times, your loved one may require more intensive nursing and therapy care due to an injury, illness or surgery. If this happens, a short term transition to the rehabilitation unit may be needed. This would happen with the intent to help them get back to their apartment when safe to do so.
Besides offering wellness and medical care, CCRCs also provide a range of social opportunities and on-site activities.
Numerous facilities provide large dining areas and other areas for the sole purpose of encouraging interaction between residents. Some communities even partner with educational institutions to allow seniors to make use of ongoing education classes.
Some of the daily activities CCRCs provided include:
All levels of continued care retirement communities render services like:
Higher levels of care within the community also offer assistance with medication reminders, bathing, some medical care assistance with activities of daily living.
Before you and your parent decide whether or not they wish to move into a CCRC, it will help to be aware of the advantages and challenges of becoming a resident of this type of retirement facility.
One of the biggest pros of living in continuing care retirement communities is that everything you could possibly need is included. You may want to compare it to a hotel or amenity resort. It sure is an excellent option for those who wish to age in place but lack the support systems or home care to do so comfortably.
Residents get to enjoy maintenance-free living coupled with the freedom of living on their own. To put it in a nutshell, the worries associated with maintaining a home and other requirements for living independently is taken away. This will allow your senior loved ones to simply enjoy their retirement.
Residents are given access to social networks where they will find other aged ones with similar interests to them. This is especially ideal for widowed or single seniors as they will benefit immensely from the sense of belonging and numerous activities, mixers, outings, and so forth. Many thrive within community setups while they have the added benefit of their own private living space.
Seniors experience the advantages of a health care support system when they opt for continued care. The majority of continuing care retirement communities provide varying levels of care such as memory care, skilled nursing, and assisted living. The benefit of being part of such a facility is that the person concerned can be moved to another level of care without having to leave entirely.
Partners or spouses often have differing care needs, which is something CCRCs accommodate without placing them in separate facilities.
You will experience peace of mind as you know they will receive continued, loving care within a safe environment.
One of the foremost things that come to mind is that your parent would have to adjust to a new lifestyle. Leaving their familiar surroundings can be a difficult transition to make.
The cost can be another drawback. In Georgia in 2019 the average cost for independent living was $2463 per month. Assisted living costs $3335 per month on average. Each step up in care comes with additional expenses. This can put a strain on someone living on a fixed income like social security.
The food may not always be what mom would prefer or cook at home. And she may have to adjust to a different caregiver if she transitioned from home with a personal caregiver.
There is often a stigma within the communities related to transition to the next level of care. People in independent living may talk about and look down upon someone who has had to transition to the assisted living area. The same is true for assisted living to memory care or long term care. These residents can be afraid of change and tend to gossip or feel sorry for their friends who now require more help.
Continued care retirement communities are designed to allow our aging parents to remain in one community as they begin to require increased assistance with time. There is a step up in care with each new level, from Independent living to assisted living to long term care to memory care. There is also usually an option for short term rehabilitation to allow for return to previous level of care. Finding the right continued care retirement community will require a bit of forethought and planning but will allow for peace of mind knowing your loved one is well taken care of.
That's all for today.
Take care, keep mom safe and have a great day!
Winn
I am a Doctor of Physical Therapy and have been working with the 70+ age group for over a decade. I will share my knowledge and experience to give you ideas to care for your aging parents. Read more >>