It’s ok to be confused and worried about living options for retirement. There are a lot of options out there, and it’s a major decision. One option to consider is assisted living.
The initial difference between independent living and assisted living is typically immediate need versus future need. With independent living, you manage your life without the aid of others. Assisted living involves using the help of others to maintain your independence. People who live in assisted living still continue to live their own lives, they’ve just taken steps to ensure a healthier, more active and engaged lifestyle than they’d have in their own home. In this way, assisted living is essentially the best of both worlds. It assists people who still want and can maintain an independent lifestyle but require some personal care to continue to achieve that goal.
Assisted living communities are designed to provide residents with assistance of the basic activities of daily living such as bathing, grooming, dressing and managing medication (which ranges from reminders to direct assistance). There are a variety of services provided, such as daily meals, housekeeping, transportation, recreational activities, and much more.
You’ll find that there are different kinds of assisted living options – from a stand-alone residence, which only offer assisted living services, to part of a continuing care retirement community, known as a CCRC. Stand alone communities are often very attractive and home-like, but can be limited in the number of services provided. Additionally, should the resident need short-term or long-term care at any time, they will be required to move. In a CCRC, the resident can be provided with a number of different services in their assisted living residence or suite without the need to move away from friends and familiarity.
It is important to consider all the aspects of your lifestyle if you’re determining your living situation. Where do you feel most comfortable, content, and involved? Where is it easiest to maintain health and fitness? Do you feel secure? Is socializing important to you? What can you financially afford? To successfully age, you need to make the best decisions for your physical, social, spiritual, and cognitive health.
66 percent of people will need long term care such as a nursing home at some point in their lives. However, only 30 percent of people think that it will happen to them. With the help of assisted living, you can maintain a healthier lifestyle and ward off potential nursing home stays. It’s more attractive, more comfortable, more social and less like a hospital.
Pickersgill’s mission is to provide top quality care and assisted living at a reasonable price. It is a CCRC offering independent, assisted living and skilled nursing care on one campus. Pickersgill has been serving the senior community for more than 200 years, and prides itself on the fact that all profits are reinvested into the community, allowing for top notch care and caregivers, a lovely location and residences, great food, lots of options for physical and social activities and more. Interested in learning more about Pickersgill? Click here to receive a kit filled with information about retirement options.
Mom’s appetite chnaegd as she aged and the large portions that were served upset her. If we were dining out I would tell her that she could take half home (we would remove the 1/2 immediately and place in a take out box) and this actually calmed her down. We also discussed how she could have it for another meal. Mom like that.. she was very thrifty!