Wide variety of housing
options available to seniors
•••
Dear Savvy Senior,
Can you decipher the different types of housing options
available to seniors and recommend some good
resources for locating them? I need to find a place for
my elderly mother and could use some help.
— Overwhelmed Daughter
Dear Overwhelmed,
There is a wide array of housing options
available to seniors, but what is appropriate
for your mom will depend on her needs and
financial situation. Here’s a rundown of the
different levels of senior housing and some
resources to help you choose one.
Independent living: If your mom is in
relatively good health and self-sufficient,
independent living communities are a top
option that can offer a sense of community.
Typically available to people over age 55, this
type of senior housing is usually apartments
or townhomes that are fully functional.
In addition, many communities also offer
amenities such as meals served in a common
dining area, housekeeping, transportation
and a variety of social activities.
To locate this type of housing, contact your
Area Agency on Aging (call 800-677-1116 to
get your local number), or use an online
search tool such as Caring.com. Most of these
communities are private pay only and can
vary greatly in cost ranging anywhere from
$1,500 to $6,000 per month.
Assisted living: If your mom needs some
help with daily living chores, she probably
will need an assisted living facility. These
facilities provide help with the activities
of daily living — such as bathing, dressing,
eating, going to the bathroom — as needed, as
well as meals, housekeeping, transportation,
social activities and medication management.
Many facilities also offer special memory
care units for residents with dementia.
Costs for an assisted living usually run
between $3,000 and $6,000 per month depending
on location and services needed.
Most residents pay for assisted living from
personal funds, while some have long-term
care insurance policies. And many state
Medicaid programs today also cover some
assisted living costs for financially eligible
residents.
Another similar, but less expensive option
to look into is board and care homes. These
offer many of the same services as assisted
living facilities but in a much smaller home
setting.
Your Area Aging Agency is again a good
resource for finding assisted living facilities
and board care homes, as is Caring.com.
Nursing homes: If your mom needs ongoing
medical and personal care or has very
limited mobility, a nursing home, which
provides 24-hour skilled nursing care, is
the next option. To find a good one, use
Medicare’s nursing home compare tool at
Medicare.gov/care-compare. This tool will
not only help you locate nursing homes in
your area, but it also provides a 5-star rating
system on recent health inspections, staffing,quality of care and overall rating.
But be aware that nursing home care is
very expensive, costing anywhere between
$4,500 and $13,000 per month for a semi-private
room depending on where you live. Most
residents pay from either personal funds, a
long-term care insurance policy or through
Medicaid after their savings are depleted.
Continuing-care retirement communities:
If your mom has the financial resources,
a CCRC is another option that
provides all levels of housing (independent
living, assisted living and skilled nursing
home care) in one convenient location. But
these communities typically require a hefty
entrance fee that can range from $20,000
to $500,000 or more, plus ongoing monthly
service fees that vary from around $2,000 to
more than $4,000. To search for CCRC’s, visit
Caring.com.
If you’re not sure what your mom needs,consider hiring an aging life care expert
(AgingLifeCare.org) who can assess your
mom and find her appropriate housing for
a fee — usually between $300 and $800. Or
you can use a senior care advising service
like A Place for Mom (APlaceForMom.com)for free. They get paid from the senior living
facilities in their network.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior,P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit
SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor
to the NBC “Today” show and author of “The
Savvy Senior” book.
4 • SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2022 • CAREGIVER
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Costs for an assisted living usually run
between $3,000 and $6,000 per month
depending on location and services
needed. Most residents pay for assisted
living from personal funds, while some
have long-term care insurance policies.
And many state Medicaid programs today
also cover some assisted living costs for
financially eligible residents. Another
similar, but less expensive option
to look into is board and care homes.