Assisted Living is a long-term care solution for your loved one that can be considered independent living with personal care services. Personalized care includes assistance with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, grooming, showering and toileting. Assisted Living communities offer both apartment-style and shared rooms depending on your loved one’s needs.

These communities encourage social engagement and active living by offering a robust activities calendar which can include weekly concerts, daily physical activities such as yoga or strength training, art classes and lectures. Transportation to doctor’s offices and outings to stores or events may also be provided.

Assisted Living can be an excellent option for many seniors that can improve their quality of life. This level of care is for seniors that need help with daily activities but do not need 24-hour medical nursing care. These communities provide a broad range of services such as housekeeping, meal preparation, laundry services, personal care, medication reminders and monitoring. The average assisted living resident is 84 years old and needs help with two or three of the activities mentioned above.

Some seniors move into assisted living communities because living alone may not be safe for them due to the risk of falling, increased memory difficulty or the risk of taking the wrong medication or an incorrect dosage. Assisted Living can often deter your loved one from moving permanently into a nursing home.

Assisted Living provides centralized meal preparation, personal care assistance (help with showering, dressing and personal hygiene), medication reminders, laundry services, trash removal, housekeeping, social and cultural activities and wellness programs including daily exercise classes, social events and family activities.

Visions of corridors lined with wheelchairs is far from the reality of options for your family member. Most Assisted Living residents are very independent of body and spirit. Many residents simply need assistance with some of their daily activities.

Most residents have lived within a 5-mile radius of their assisted living community. Family members and friends live near and visit. Assisted Living Communities foster independence, allowing residents to visit

friends and family and enjoy their community activities. Life in an Assisted Living community has been compared to life on a cruise ship with scheduled activities and fostered socialization.

The cost of Assisted Living varies greatly depending on the community and type of services needed by your loved one but can range between $4,000 and $10,000 per month. Assisted living is more costly than Independent / Retirement communities but usually less than memory care. Some Assisted Living communities include care services with the charge of a room and others separate these charges. This care service cost varies based the kind of care and the amount of hands-on care that is needed.

Medicare does not pay for Assisted Living services; however, Medicaid does pay for some assisted living services depending on the community. In order to receive services through Medicaid, your loved one would have to qualify both medically and financially.