Senior Living: How to choose a senior living community
It may feel a little overwhelming when you start doing your research to find the perfect senior living community. We’re here to help and have suggestions and tips on how to get started and ultimately find your new home.
There are four buildings representing those four levels of care at Evenglow Senior Living. These include The Residences at Evenglow (Independent Living), The Lodge at Evenglow (Assisted Living), The Inn at Evenglow (Memory Care), and Tjardes Health Center (Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation) at Evenglow. These options and lines of care means Evenglow is known as a Life Plan Community.
There are a lot of different senior living communities popping up to continue to meet the growing demand of Baby Boomers and older adults seeking a maintenance-free and stress-free apartment home.
What should you look for? Here are a few key considerations.
Services and amenities
Be sure to find out what services and amenities come as part of your monthly fee. A few of the most common ones that are included are nutritious meals, access to medical care, laundry and housekeeping, transportation services and around the clock security.
Levels of care
You should plan now for the future and select a community that will allow you to smoothly transition from one area of care to another. In other words, move once from your longtime home to a senior living community. If you or your spouse/partner may need access to Skilled Nursing Care, a Life Plan Community is a good option. This also is the case if you or your loved one may need to consider care and activities for dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
Budget
In recent years more rental options have come into the senior living space. Owning versus renting is a decision you should make based on your household budget. To figure out how much you can afford to spend on senior living, determine your monthly income from all sources (including 401(k), family support, pensions, Social Security, etc). Next, identify your monthly expenses (minus the expenses your senior living community will handle). Most communities have team members who can also assist with this part of the equation if you desire it.
Location
Where do you want to live? If you would like to move into the Independent Living part of a community and continue to attend your church, continue to be part of local organizations, clubs and stay in close contact with former friends and neighbors, we suggest you look for a community within a 15-mile radius of your home.
If you are considering moving to a warmer climate, there are numerous retirement communities in the Southeast, the Western states and other states/regions. Some senior living companies own and operate communities in various states and can help refer you from your area to a warmer one.
Fitness/wellness
Keeping residents active, engaged and healthy is a mission of most senior living communities. In the senior living industry, over the past several years, there has been an increased focus on wellness. Communities have indoor and outdoor pools, fitness centers, personal trainers and can work with you on your fitness regimen.
Activity and social engagement
Studies show active and engaged residents are healthier and happier. You or your loved ones also gain a certain peace of mind knowing Mom or Dad are living in a maintenance-free home, meeting new friends and eating healthy. Activities for residents, events like Happy Hour and outdoor dining, on-site clubs are also part of senior living.
Culinary
Food has definitely become a large part of senior living. Find out how meals are prepared and what options you will have. Nearly every single community today offers all the varying dietary requirements and most even prepare special meals for specific residents in line with their health care needs or restrictions.
There may be other factors in finding the right senior living community for you to consider, but we feel the ones listed here are a wonderful guide.
Don’t wait too long! That is the one statement we hear time and time again. People wished they had made the move sooner when they were younger and able to take advantage of the off-site excursions and many of the social activities/events.
We are here to answer your questions and to assist you in making the best decision for you and your loved ones. Visit https://evenglow.org/ for more information or call 815-844-6131.
Amy Eppel is Marketing and Communications director at Evenglow Senior Living
This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Senior Living: How to choose a senior living community
