Senior Housing Ashland NE

Independent Living at Continuing Care Retirement Communities

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The term “independent living” may take on different meanings when applied to continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). It may sometimes imply an active and independent lifestyle, where the senior is free of the need for assistance with performing daily tasks and addressing his/her daily needs.

In other cases, it may mean that a frailer senior, perhaps someone suffering from dementia, is receiving the support services in a memory assisted living facility that is necessary to help them remain as independent as possible, for as long as possible.

This article provides a more in-depth look at what independent living looks like in senior homes. It will also talk about how this is normally a temporary arrangement as seniors will become more dependent and require more care as they age.

 

Assisted Living Homes vs CCRCs

Before going further, it’s important to establish the difference between an assisted living home and a continuing care retirement community.

Assisted living facilities are for those who require little assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs). They do not provide medical care so the resident must move to a different type of senior care location, such as a skilled nursing center if they need medical care.

Residents can expect a number of services including specially trained, licensed professionals who provide around-the-clock support for activities of daily living. Accommodations are typically comfortable, private, and aesthetically pleasing.

Continuing care communities, on the other hand, allow their residents to “age in place”. They’re in an environment with familiar faces and a daily routine they enjoy, rather than moving from place to place to receive the care you need. CCRCs offer all levels of senior care in one convenient location.

CCRCs employ medical professionals like nurses and therapists who are trained in geriatric care. They carry out individualized health plans that change as the resident ages.

The best thing about living in a continuing care retirement community is that residents can receive higher levels of care on the same campus. For example, many CCRCs have memory assisted living units for seniors who might eventually succumb to Alzheimer’s disease.

 

Living independently at CCRCs

Now, CCRCs provide residents with a variety of care services if and when they are needed. The seniors in CCRCs can typically be categorized as those needing long-term care, otherwise known as assisted living services, and those that are able to leave in a fully independent manner.

Long-term care refers to help with daily activities like dressing, bathing, using the toilet, and food preparation.

Meanwhile, the seniors residing in the “independent living” portion of a CCRC require none of these. They are living on their own in apartment units or patio-style homes.

It’s important to point out that the health and mobility of a CCRC resident change over time. It isn’t uncommon for those living independently to have caregivers come into their home or apartment once they do begin to need a little bit of help.

Senior facilities typically provide separate assisted living and nursing care accommodations for residents whose care needs have advanced considerably. However, almost all residents prefer to stay in their own apartment or home for as long as possible.

 

Conclusion

The choice to go for an assisted living or continuing care retirement community depends on the physical and mental condition of an elderly loved one. It is important to do extensive research and tour these places firsthand to ensure that the quality of care is as expected.

 

Richmont Senior Living is proud to serve Ashland, NE and the surrounding cities: Memphis, Springfield, South Bend, Greenwood, Murdock, Waverly, Murdock, Ithaca, and Chalco

Facilities for Alzheimer’s Ashland NE

Personal Assistance for Memory Assisted Living Residents

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Senior living is a broad industry. In the United States alone there are multiple options available to older people. From active adult communities to nursing homes, personal assistance is a solution that will cater to the preference of the elderly person and his family.

However, the variety is a double-edged sword. As good as having lots of options are, it can also potentially lead to feelings of confusion for the soon-to-be resident and the family member tasked with looking for the perfect senior living facility.

For example, in assisted living communities, people may be surprised to find that there are multiple levels of care involved. Each one comes with different features and has different costs attached to them.

 

The Importance of Knowing these Levels of Care

When searching for memory assisted living facilities, knowledge about the different levels of care or personal assistance is handy, crucial even. Through this information, people will know about the different support mechanisms available to aging loved ones as years passed. Knowledge also gives those looking for an assisted living facility the confidence to ask the right questions, which will then inform their opinion when decision time comes.

 

Personal Assistance for Residents in Memory Assisted Living Homes

It’s important to note that assisted living facilities aren’t as heavily regulated as nursing facilities are. This is because assisted living homes offer care in a less clinical environment. The intention is to make the elderly feel cared for in an environment that’s more like a comfortable communal home or, in some cases, individual luxury apartments. No white walls and sterile linoleum floors.

From an administrative perspective, instituting different levels of care allows the people running assisted living homes to hire the right kind of staff, depending on the assistants required by residents at a given time. Say an assisted living community has more residents this year that need assistance to get to and from the dining room three times a day. So, that community needs to hire more caregivers compared to one where the majority of the residents walk on their own to meals.

 

Levels of Personal Assistance in Memory Assisted Living Communities

Memory care units can exist as part of a wider assisted living community or as its own standalone facility. Its residents need a higher and more specific type of personal assistance due to their medical conditions. Since they cater to senior residents with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, they cultivate an environment that helps residents with memory loss succeed and feel at home. Activities are failure-free and dining programs emphasize dignity. Staff members receive additional and ongoing specialized training in dementia care and often lead support groups or educational opportunities for family members as well.

 

Talking about Levels of Care

Learn about the personal assistance features when pursuing assisted living to make a loved one comfortable during the later stages of life. Take time to talk about levels of care during your tour. Most assisted living communities will assess potential residents in order to make a guess about their initial level of care needs. Use this information not only to plan for your initial costs but also to gauge your future costs based on any decline due to medical conditions.

 

Richmont Senior Living is proud to serve Ashland, NE and the surrounding cities: Memphis, Springfield, South Bend, Greenwood, Murdock, Waverly, Murdock, Ithaca, and Chalco