As you grow old, living alone can become quite stressful. Dealing with medical expenses, daily activities, and other responsibilities can take a toll on you, both physically and mentally.Retirement should be all about relaxing, and not about sweating out the small stuff.
This is where senior living comes into the picture. Depending on your preference, you can choose an option that resonates the most with your needs.
Different Types of Senior Living Options
1.Assisted Living
One of the popular senior living methods in the U.S., assisted living is a good option for the elderly. This arrangement is suitable for seniors who don’t need constant medical care, yet they are not fully capable of living all by themselves. While people admitted at a hospital or a nursing home are in a more critical condition, assisted living helps people who have difficulty in carrying out their daily tasks on their own. For example, people with memory loss or mobility issues may not need continuous monitoring, but they do need assistance to live a healthy and peaceful life.
Main Features:
- Ideal for people who need assistance in conducting daily tasks
- Dependent on the care provider
- Care and safety guaranteed
- Independent Senior Living
This is another type of senior living arrangement where a number of elderly people live in an apartment or a separate living space. The community of senior people provides the inhabitants with support and joy. The facility doesn’t offer detailed medical care as a hospital. The residents have access to the amenities necessary for living an independent life. For medical and healthcare needs, they have the provision to take help from a third-party service provider. In this case, the elders are perfectly capable of leading an independent life, without needing any assistance for carrying out their daily activities like eating, bathing, walking, and so on. In the USA, people above the age of 55 can opt for independent senior living, in one of the many facilities available throughout the country.
Main Features:
- Living amidst a community of elderly people
- Independent living
- No constant monitoring
- Aging in Place
Sometimes, elderly people do not prefer to move out of their homes, even if they find it difficult to take care of themselves. Aging in place allows them to remain in their own homes, with necessary modifications made to the house for making it safer and more secure. It is often noted that aging in place brings in a greater amount of happiness and support to the seniors than living in the new environment of a care home. The familiar surroundings, friendly community, and the joy of living in their own home prove to be more beneficial to keep the elderly content.
Main features:
- Remodeling the house for making it suitable for an elder person
- Independence
- Living in a familiar surrounding
- Residential Care Home
A residential care home provides assistance with food, lodging, and day-to-day activities for a group of seniors. Located in a house or a part of an apartment, a care home hosts a few numbers of seniors that live in harmony, and receive care as needed. Living among people helps them deal with boredom and isolation. The care home creates a homely environment where the elderly can live happily, without any inconvenience. This is more affordable than the other options and allows greater individual-centric care for the residents.
Main Features:
- Homely environment
- Helps with food, lodging, and daily needs
- Living in a community
5.CCRC
Continuing Care Retirement Community, also called CCRC, encompasses different senior living facilities, all under the same roof. This model takes into account assisted living, independent living, and the care of nursing homes. All of these facilities are available within a single campus. Depending on the health condition of the senior, they can choose to live independently, or under the care of a medical expert. This facility allows the residents to live within the community from the time of their retirement, until their last days. With age, the medical needs evolve, and the CCRC provides care as needed. For seniors who are afraid of living alone after retirement, this model is an ideal option.
Main Features:
- Living among a community
- Care provided as needed
- A good option for long-term health care
Advantages of Senior Living
- Fixed Expense
Unlike living alone, in a senior care facility, you will have to deal with a limited amount of expenses. Whether you pay on a monthly or annual basis, the charges are fixed. When you live on your own, you have to deal with extra expenses regarding your home, maintenance, and so on. But in a senior living setting, you won’t have to worry about such things. Everything will be taken care of on your behalf, against the contribution you make.
- No Need to Run Errands
Running a house is a hassle. When you choose senior living for your post-retirement years, you won’t have to rush here and there to get the necessities for the household. You can live a secure life, where you won’t have to deal with many responsibilities, and you can focus better on your personal well-being, health, and develop meaningful relationships with like-minded people within the senior living community.
- Respite from Isolation
The fear of living alone can be a grappling one. In a senior living facility, you are surrounded by a friendly community that helps you break the monotony of retired life.
- Activities You Enjoy
Since you won’t have to focus on everyday housework, you can invest your time in the activities you enjoy. Whether it’s painting, exercising, or reading, you can immerse in a hobby of your choice, and have a content life.
- Proper Healthcare
In the case of ailments, you will receive medical care, as required. If you are living in an independent setting, your service provider will take the help of a third party to conduct your treatments, and will provide you with all types of assistance.
