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Frequently Asked Questions About Senior Living

June 28, 2019

With decades of experience behind us, we’ve answered many questions about senior living that prospective residents and their families have. We thought it would be helpful to older adults and their families if we shared the most popular ones.

Common Questions About Senior Living

How Much Does It Cost?

The cost of senior living can vary depending on location and your needs or those of your aging loved one.

But pricing can be a bit tricky to understand. It’s why you want to be sure to inquire about additional buy-in fees, move-in fees, community fees and fees for extra amenities.

Unlike other senior living communities, we don’t charge new residents a buy-in fee. There is a combined move-in/community fee that roughly equals one month of rent. There is no long-term commitment required.

Read our guide on Understand Senior Living Costs.

What Types Of Care Are Available?

The type of care offered can vary from community to community. At Five Star Senior Living, many of our communities offer several living options, including:

Independent living is for seniors who do not need assistance in their day-to-day lives, but for those who want to join an active senior community.
Assisted living is a solution for seniors who do need assistance with daily tasks, such as bathing, dressing and medication reminders.

Memory care and short term stays, which include seasonal visits, respite care, and rehab support are other common care types found among senior living communities.

Can I Bring My Pet With Me?

If you currently live with a furry friend, then it goes without saying that you want them to come with you when you move into a senior living community. Some, but not all communities are pet friendly.

Before booking tours at your top choices for senior living communities, be sure to inquire about their pet policy to make certain your four-legged friend can move right along with you. Learn more about the Five Star Senior Living pet friendly communities.

What Types of Activities Can I Participate In?

Life enrichment activities vary from community to community. You can ask for a calendar of events to see which ones are offered at the community of your choice. Almost all of the Five Star Senior Living communities offer exercise classes, such as chair yoga or fitness walking, as well as book clubs, movie nights and games such as bingo.

Our Lifestyle360 Program, is a holistic approach to aging well. We operate under the theory that five different pillars of health–physical, spiritual, intellectual, emotional and social–need to be met in order for older adults to thrive.

Tour a Five Star Senior Living Community

Ready to explore all that senior living has to offer? Find a Five Star Senior Living community near you to schedule a tour today. We’d be more than happy to answer all of your additional questions you or your loved one may have about senior living.

Contact Us Today

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5 Tips for Finding a Senior Living Community You Feel You Can Trust

You’ve probably watched news reports talking about trouble at a nursing home or senior community at some point. While the kinds of issues these news reports spotlight are rare, they can make families worry more when it comes time to find a senior living community that is a good fit for a loved one.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to feel more confident that you are making an informed choice.

Making an Informed Choice about Senior Living

Here are a few suggestions to help you focus on what is most important in making a decision about senior living:

Personal recommendations: Talking with people you trust who have been through this process can really help. Do you have any family members, friends, colleagues, or acquaintances who have a loved one living in a senior living community? Ask if you could sit down with them over a cup of coffee to talk about what they do and don’t like about it. An insider’s honest perspective can be very valuable as you make this decision.
Read community reviews online: There are several online review platforms that you can visit to read what residents and families have to say about the community. Caring.com, for example, has a directory that allows you to read reviews about specific assisted living, memory care, and other types of senior living in your local area.
Review state survey results: Learn what agency has oversight for any senior care option you are considering and then take time to read what regulators have to say about them during their annual visits. If you are considering an assisted living community for example, know that they are regulated at the state level and laws vary state by state. Contact your state’s department of health if you need help determining how senior living is regulated near you.
Make personal visits: Nothing can replace visiting and touring senior living communities in person. Take your time. Ask good, solid questions. Talk with staff, residents, and their families. Visit more than once and do so at different times, including making at least one weekend visit. Be sure to take good notes that you can refer back to as you work your way through each community you are considering.
Consider a short-term stay: If you are still a little hesitant, take advantage of respite care programs. While many think these short-term stays at a senior living community are just to give the caregiver a break, they can also be utilized as a trial run to see how your loved one likes it. Just make sure their stay is at least a few weeks so you have time to objectively assess the community.

Call Five Star Senior Living Today

If you have questions about moving a senior loved one, financing senior living or senior care in general, call the Five Star community nearest you. One of our team members will be happy to set up a time to meet with you in person, answer all of your questions, and help connect you with the resources you need!

Finding an Assisted Living Community for a Senior in the Midst of a Crisis

An ideal time to move to an assisted living community is when an older adult is still active enough to participate in the process. The senior can visit communities and select the one that meets their needs and feels most like home. Moving before a crisis also gives the older adult time to settle in and get to know the team members at the community.

Sometimes, however, something unexpected occurs. A medical emergency or a change in circumstances requires the decision to be made in a hurry.

As an adult child or close family member, what can you do to make an informed, thoughtful decision about which assisted living community is best amid a crisis?

We have a few tips that can be helpful during this stressful time.

Helpful Tips for Choosing an Assisted Living Community in a Hurry

Confirm the type of care: Before you begin the search, talk with your senior loved one’s physician or the discharge planner at the hospital to make sure you understand just what type of care is needed. Families sometimes assume that a nursing home is their only option when an assisted living community is actually a better choice.
Determine a budget: If your family hasn’t discussed senior care before, you may not have discussed the older adult’s finances either. You’ll need to have some idea about how much money they have. While you can usually get a bridge loan to help pay senior living expenses until assets can be liquidated, it is helpful to know about their financial situation.
Start the search online: Most assisted living communities have websites. Going online to learn more about the company’s mission, services, and amenities can save time. Create a list of questions that arise as you work your way through the websites. Once you have a few communities that look promising, start making phone calls. Ask about pricing, required contracts, and other items on your list.
Check review sites: There are a variety of websites dedicated to reviewing senior living communities. While reviews shouldn’t be your only criteria, they can help you get the perspective of other residents and their families.
Review state survey results: Assisted living communities are regulated at the state level. That includes complaints received from families. This is typically done through the state Department of Aging or the Department of Health and Human Services. Many states now publish survey results online. Before you move forward with personal tours, take time to review the state survey results for the past few years.
Visit the top choices in person: Once you’ve done your homework, pick the top two or three communities to visit in person. Schedule an appointment to see the campus and meet the team. This is the best way to determine if the assisted living community is a good fit for your loved one. If you aren’t able to make personal visits yourself, enlist the support of a friend or even consider hiring a geriatric care manager.
Try a short-term respite stay: One final tip is to consider a short-term respite stay. When time is short and a decision must be made, you can take advantage of an assisted living community’s respite care program. This short-term arrangement allows an older adult to stay at the community for a few weeks or up to a month. Your loved one will have access to the same care, services, and amenities as a permanent resident. It’s a great way to try out a community without making a long-term commitment.

Call the Five Star Senior Living community nearest you to learn more about assisted living or short-term respite stays!

How to Begin Searching for Assisted Living

Where you live plays an important role in your personal identity. Susan Clayton, an environmental psychologist who guides student research at the College of Wooster in Ohio, agrees. She notes that while it’s not true for everyone, home is how we identify ourselves.

That partly explains why we decorate and spruce up our home and gardens. These functions serve as both self-expression and a show of pride to the outside world.

When Where You Call Home is Assisted Living

This is all good information to know and consider as you are helping a senior family member search for an assisted living community. Remember, the home where your loved one currently resides may have been home for decades. It’s instilled with memories – in many cases a lifetime of them.

So, how does one begin searching for an assisted living community that your loved one will be proud to call home?

For many older adults, the answer lies in the word “community”.

Searching for a Senior Living Community

Here are a few tips to consider in your search.

A Sense of Community

There’s a long list of criteria you should use when searching for a good place for your loved one to call home. You can and should begin your search with checklist in hand, matching your options against the list as you search.

But knowing the fundamental basis for everything that defines an assisted living community will be far more helpful to you as you narrow your choices.

The determining factor of what makes an assisted living community a comfortable fit for your loved one is a sense of community. When the people who work there, as well as the people who live there, feel a strong sense of community, everything else can fall into place the way you need it to.

Ask About Staff Turnover

One sure-fire way to make a place not feel like home is to have a constantly-changing carousel of caregivers. If staff members are unhappy with their jobs, something may be amiss and chances are there’s not a very strong sense of community present.

That’s why making multiple visits before making a final decision is an important part of your search. Talk to staff, residents, and families and you will probably be able to tell a lot about the culture of the community.

Learn More About Staff

While we’re on the subject of staff, the staff-to-resident ratio is crucial, too. When there isn’t enough staff to help things run smoothly, it’s pretty difficult to maintain a good, strong community feeling. Overworked staff members are usually unhappy. When they’re unhappy, they probably won’t make good caregivers.

Ask What Kind of Staff They Have

Assisted living communities aren’t required to have a nurse on duty 24/7 in many states. The ones that do have a nursing team will stand out. It’s a nice benefit, and speaks to the commitment of the community to your loved one’s health. Ask what staff members are present during non-business hours, as well as during the daytime.

Sample Being Part of the Community Yourself

Eating a meal or two with residents can open up doors to conversations that will shed light on the sense of community. Ask about attending a lunch or dinner with residents so both you and your loved one can really get to the heart of the place: seniors who live there already.

Other Questions to Ask on Your Senior Living Search

Of course, there’s the business side of things, you should also ask about. Important questions to have answered include:

forms of payment the community accepts
whether they have plans in place to allow your loved one to age in place
what licenses they have
what activities they offer
whether they provide transportation to medical appointments
whether pets are allowed
whether there’s a waiting list

Visit a Five Star Senior Living Community Near You

We invite you to visit a Five Star Senior Living community near you. You’ll no doubt recognize the strong sense of community and caregiver support our residents enjoy every day when your tour.

Plan to stay for lunch or dinner when you visit so you and your senior loved one can enjoy the Five Star Signature Dining Experience firsthand!

10 Reasons Senior Living Communities Improve Older Adults Lives

The Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) reports that more than 20 percent of the population will be age 65 and older by 2030. As a result, more older adults will be moving to an Indiana senior living community.

While many seniors fear the idea of moving into an independent or assisted living community, there are a surprising number of benefits associated with the transition.

Here are ten ways senior living communities improve the lives of older adults in the Hoosier state.

Exploring the Benefits of Senior Living Communities

Socialization
Social isolation leads to detrimental health consequences including depression and disease. When seniors move into an assisted living community, they are encouraged to participate in planned social activities that relate to their favorite hobbies and interests. Life enrichment is a key to successful aging.
Physical Activity
Living in a senior community presents older adults with opportunities to engage in fitness classes like Zumba and Chair yoga. The best part is these activities are a short walk down to the activity center. No transportation required!

These exercise opportunities are great options for older adults in Indiana who may not be able to get outside during the icy, winter months.
Healthy Diet
Adult children have peace of mind knowing their aging parent is eating a well-balanced diet while living in a senior community. Residents enjoy restaurant-style dining with an opportunity to socialize with friends at each meal.
Independence
As we age, the fear of losing our independence looms large. But moving to a senior living community is one of the best ways for an older adult to receive the support they need to maintain their independence. Individual apartments or suites in a senior living community allow seniors to live independently knowing assistance is nearby if needed.
Safety
There are many safety benefits to consider when thinking about moving into a senior living community . They range from personal security to health management support. An attentive staff ensures older adults are healthy and mobile while giving family members peace of mind that their loved one is safe.
Transportation
A significant factor for maintaining independence is transportation. Most senior living communities provide transportation to and from errands, appointments and shopping centers. Transportation services also take stress off of family caregivers who may be juggling a full-time career and family of their own with the needs of an aging parent.
Improve Caregivers’ Health
Adult children can hand over some of their responsibilities to the staff at the senior living community including meal preparations, medication management and housekeeping. When their senior loved one moves into an independent or assisted living community, the family caregiver often feels less stressed and weary. It allows them to regain their own health and to more fully enjoy the time they spend with their loved one.
Health Management
Senior living communities offer a variety of wellness programs in-house. From fall prevention programs to weight monitoring and medication management, these services help residents stay active longer.
Memory Care
According to the Alzheimer’s Association , more than five million Americans lived with dementia in 2015. If your aging loved one is affected by the disease, a memory care community may be the ideal solution. These communities provide the necessary stimulation, nutrition and security for older adults with cognitive loss.
Personal Care
As we age, it’s harder to pay proper attention to our personal hygiene. The staff at a senior living community can provide personal care for older adults in the comfort of their rooms. These communities also offer in-house beauty salon services on a weekly basis.

At first glance, encouraging a loved one into a senior living community might feel frightening. But the big move will likely turn out to be the best move to help them to live a longer and healthier life.

9 Tips for Touring An Assisted Living Community

Finding an assisted living community to meet the needs of an aging loved one requires research, legwork, and lots of discussion. It’s not a choice you can make sight unseen. You’ll want to tour potential communities before you and your loved one make a decision.

And, oftentimes, a partner or an adult child finds it easier to visit a variety of communities without their spouse or parent. Because many have an idea of what their senior family member will and won’t like, they can eliminate those they don’t think are a good fit. Then the whole party can visit the top two or three communities together later.

Whatever approach you choose, preparing ahead is the key to making the most of each tour.

How to Make the Most of Your Assisted Living Community Tour

Here are 9 tips to help you know what to ask and what to look for:

1. Discuss preferences to narrow down the choices.

Would your loved one thrive in a more luxurious community? Or would they be more comfortable in a laidback environment? What types of activities do they enjoy and want to stay involved in?

Each assisted living community has its own unique personality, and you will want to find one where your loved one will feel at home.

2. Investigate the staff-to-resident ratio.

Does the staff seem stressed and overworked? Or are they smiling and pleasant? Does the community appear to have enough staff members to care for the residents?

These are all important observations to make.

3. Watch how the staff treats the residents.

More importantly, but definitely related to the ratio of staff to residents, is how the staff treats the residents.

Try to be an unobtrusive observer to see how staff behaves when they think no one is watching.

4. Take a formal tour, but also wander the community on your own.

The formal tour will introduce you to all the services and amenities of the community. But it’s only when you walk the halls, visit the cafeteria, and peek in on classes unchaperoned that will you really see what the community is like.

After your formal tour, ask the staff member for a few minutes to wander around on your own.

5. Share a meal in the community.

Assess the quality and nutritional value of the food in the community by eating a meal in the dining room with residents. Pay attention to how the residents and staff act.

Are they friendly and welcoming? Do people seem to be enjoying socializing over their meal? Will your loved one easily make friends here?

6. Chat with the residents.

Chances are the residents in an assisted living community will be happy to have company and more than willing to chat. AARP recommends the following questions:

How long have you lived here?
Do you like living here?
What do you like to do during the day?
Is the staff attentive without being intrusive?
Are caregivers friendly?
Do you feel it’s worth the cost?

7. Ask about day trips and transportation.

Ask the staff about what services and enrichment opportunities are located in the local area from shopping to cultural arts. What sort of transportation does the community offer to take advantage of these? Does the community schedule fun day trips for residents?

8. Ask about area doctors and hospitals.

Investigate the doctors, physical therapists, and other healthcare professionals that are onsite. Explore physicians and hospitals in the area, too.

Check the licensing and credentials of on-staff doctors. Are your loved one’s regular doctors nearby or will your aging loved one have to switch healthcare providers?

9. Explore the facilitates and grounds.

The physical buildings and grounds can tell you a lot about a community. Is it warm and welcoming? Is it clean and well-kept? Or are walls, doors, and floors in disrepair? Is the landscaping well maintained?

Look for wide corridors, light colors, and well-lighted hallways, which can help reduce the risk of falls.

Making the Decision

A number of factors go into selecting an assisted living community for your aging loved one. And a personal tour is an important step in making an informed choice. Find a Five Star Senior Living community near you to schedule a tour today and see what sets us apart.

Contact Us Today

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Exploring Senior Living Funding Solutions

The cost of senior living and confusion about how to finance it often top an adult child’s list of questions and concerns in the search for a senior living community. Understandably so. There are many myths and stereotypes about senior living expenses that make it difficult for families to obtain accurate information.

To help you get the answers you need, we created this list of frequently asked questions. Here you will find answers to the questions our team members hear from families most often.

FAQ: Answering Family Questions About Financing Senior Living

Q: Will Medicare pay for an assisted living community?

A: Families are often surprised to discover the answer to this question is an unfortunate “no.” Medicare is designed to help with health care expenses, and assisted living does not meet that criteria.

Q: Can a life insurance policy be cashed in to pay for senior living costs?

A: This is one to talk to a certified financial planner or an attorney about. There are life settlement companies that will purchase life insurance policies from older adults. While the senior won’t receive the policy’s full face value, the generally receive an amount that is greater than the surrender value. But there are some unscrupulous companies out there waiting to scam seniors. So it is important to find a credible company to work with. Make certain you get recommendations from people you know and trust.

Q: Does long-term care insurance also help pay for assisted living expenses?

A: Many families overlook this potential funding solution when a loved one moves to an assisted living community. In fact, some long-term care insurance policies do help pay for assisted living, and not just a nursing home. Make sure you review your senior loved one’s policy or call the company if you need further clarification.

Q: Are there any programs that help military veterans finance senior living?

A: Yes, there is a program that can provide financial assistance to veterans who qualify. It is called the Aid & Attendance benefit and is designed to help with senior care expenses for veterans and their surviving spouse. The veteran does have some conditions that must first be met.

If they qualify, a veteran or their spouse can be eligible for up:

$2,127 per month for married veterans
$1,794 per month for single veterans
$1,153 per month for a surviving spouse

Q: Do banks or other lending institutions offer short-term loans to help pay for senior living expenses?

A: We know seniors often have a home to sell or other investments that must be liquidated to cover the cost of senior living. But in many instances, the older adult wants to move before these assets are sold. The good news is that a growing number of banks and financial organizations offer short-term bridge loans to fill the gap.

Talk with your bank or that of your senior loved one to see what they might offer. In addition, Five Star Senior Living has a partnership with Elderlife Financial. Their Financial Concierge team members can help seniors and their families explore their short-term funding options.

Download our Senior Living Funding Guide

Interested in learning more? Download the free Your Complete Guide to the Cost of Senior Living e-book! It’s packed with helpful information and resources for families to explore.

Staying Healthy by Staying Social in Retirement Years

Everyone knows that to stay healthy, it’s important to eat right, get some exercise, and avoid burning your skin in the sun. Did you know that, once you retire, maintaining an active social life can help keep you in good health, too?

Since July is National Social Wellness Month, it’s a good time to explore the impact that staying social can have on your health.

Researchers have found that feelings of social isolation are linked to mental and physical health problems.

Today’s older Americans are more likely to feel isolated than seniors of previous generations. As the population ages, the link between aging, isolation, and health could grow to become a significant public health issue.

Feeling Isolated May be Bad for Your Physical Health

Spending time around people who care about you can be a great way to stay healthy during retirement. Staying social not only makes you feel better, but it is also good for your overall well-being.

The AARP reports that studies have linked perceived isolation to increased blood pressure, higher rates of colds and the flu, indulgence in unhealthy behaviors, and even the early onset of dementia.

Isolation among older Americans has also been linked to higher mortality rates from breast cancer, heart disease, and other chronic diseases

Why does this happen?

Scientists believe that social contact has profound physiological effects which can reduce stress hormones and inflammation. For whatever reason, feeling lonely seems to trigger an innate response in human beings, called “fight-or-flight”. This is the same response triggered by extremely stressful situations. The body reacts with inflammation and reduced efficiency of the immune system.

Doctors know that stress and inflammation play a role in many chronic conditions. Over the long term, the presence of stress and inflammation may even contribute to serious illnesses like cancer.

Isolation May Also Contribute to Cognitive Decline

One study of 2,000 people found that those who live by themselves were overwhelmingly prone to dementia. Even when a housemate was present but the participants in the study reported simply feeling lonely, their risk of cognitive decline increased.

What can we take from those results?

Scientists believe that regular social contact keeps the neurons in the brain active, thereby warding off dementia. Viewed in this light, socializing is akin to a workout for the brain.

Be Proactive About Staying Social

Maintaining friendships isn’t always as easy as we’d like it to be, especially as we age. In your 20s, your friends probably formed the pillars of your social life. Now, after years of childrearing, climbing the corporate ladder, or moving around from state to state, you’ve more than likely lost touch with a good portion of your oldest buddies.

Once you retire, you often lose the social network you formed at work.

Staying social during retirement requires a proactive approach. There are plenty of ways to actively seek out new friendships.

Hobbies are a wonderful way to meet people with similar interests. For example, do you love nature and animals? Joining a birdwatcher’s group can connect you with others who share your appreciation for the natural world.

Another example: do you love helping people learn? Volunteering to become a mentor is one of the best ways to connect. It affords you the opportunity to make deeper, lasting relationships that may last for years.

The Social Dimension of Wellness

There are other great ways to make new friends and develop existing friendships as well. Seniors who live at one of Indiana’s Five Star Senior Living communities enjoy active social lives via a full schedule of social events. They participate in leisure and recreation activities that take place right at home and they enjoy social events like book clubs, Tai Chi and holiday celebrations.

Socializing is a vital part of the wellness formula. Here at Five Star Senior Living, we’ve made that an essential principle in all of our communities. Want to learn more? Call us today to schedule a tour of an Indiana community near you.

Creating a Budget for Senior Living

We’ve all experienced it: budgeting mistakes. One bill might not get paid while another one is paid twice. Maybe it was a one-time occurrence. That’s normal. But as our loved ones age, health issues, losses, and grief may compound distraction and contribute to poor decision making. Sometimes challenges managing finances can even be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease.

With empathy and kindness in mind, caregivers can help a senior loved one create a budget and keep their finances safely on track.

Caution, please!

If you’re helping to create a budget for your Mom or Dad, consider that they may perceive your efforts as a loss of their independence. So move forward with gentleness, compassion, and respect. Loved ones who are treated with dignity and diplomacy are more likely to work willingly with you as you help them with their finances.

Working with a Senior Loved One to Establish a Budget

Here’s how to create a budget for a senior loved one:

List their net income. When you are just estimating income and expenses, it may be easy to understate or overstate them. So start by making a list of all their income sources. Include social security, investments, pension, and any earnings from hobbies or other sources. From each income source, subtract any taxes or necessary deductions. Tally their final take-home pay.
List their expenses. Start with the basic fixed expenses: rent or mortgage, utilities, car payments, insurance, and so on.
Then include the expenses that change each month: groceries, gas, medications or entertainment, for example. Help them read their credit card statement and checking account statement to complete the list. Watch out for sneaky expenses. Those may be one-time treat items that become a habit and begin to appear regularly on bank statements.

To help create a list of possible expenses, many online tools are available. Some of the free and easy services include Mint.com, Budget pulse, and ClearCheckBook.
List their actual spending. Track daily spending when checks are written or credit cards are used. A slip of paper kept in the wallet will work, but helpful smart phone apps are available.
At the end of the week, schedule about 15 minutes to help them record the expenses on their master tracking list. At that time, compare the actual spending with the expenses.
List saving sources. If necessary, work with your senior loved one to identify possible areas in which to make cutbacks. They may be entitled to a senior discount with a different cable company or get a better deal on cell service if they shop around. A little savings here and there will add up to bigger savings by the end of the year.
List their goals. Whether it is for a vacation, wedding and birthday gifts, major repairs, or additional retirement funds—life happens. It is important to plan for these events and unexpected issues. Estimate the amount of savings required each month to meet their goals. And to also prepare for anticipated caregiving costs.
List any obstacles. Let’s face it, for some people spending money fills a need. It can produce positive feelings or prevent negative ones. Some people shop for pleasure. The hunt for an item can be exciting, novel, or give a sense of empowerment and accomplishment. It can be a social activity that connects us with the community—that’s especially important for some retirees. At other times, shopping can help us avoid pain—maybe fear or loneliness. In any case, when over-spending occurs, there’s usually a negative outcome: stress, shame, or arguments.
To help a parent replace the power of a habit, brainstorm to find ways to fill the real need. Is it people and community? Then schedule activities to help satisfy that real need. Is it the novelty, adventure, or a sense of accomplishment? Help your loved one find creative hobbies or alternate activities to address those needs.

Finally, consider posting a note on the refrigerator to remind your Mom or Dad about their financial goals and the budget it will take to achieve them.
Seek support. Consider making a list of friends, family members, or organizations that can help you when their budget just won’t add up. For example, Debtors Anonymous offers in-person group meetings and telephone support meetings nationwide to people of any age. Our blog also has a variety of articles to help adult children discuss difficult topics, including money.

At Five Star Senior Living communities in Indiana, our team can help you estimate costs for respite care and for assisted living. Call the community nearest you to schedule a private visit today!

Mistakes to Avoid When Searching for Assisted Living

The term “assisted living” is one you may have heard before, but might not understand what it means. Until they need an assisted living community for an older loved one, most people don’t spend a lot of time getting to know the senior housing industry.

That can change very quickly when an elder you love needs extra care. This is the time of year when many adult children begin the search for senior care.

The holiday visit home to see an aging parent is often the catalyst for realizing they aren’t safe or happy living alone. To help you avoid making a mistake, we’ve pulled together a few things you should know when it comes to finding a senior living community.

What to Know About Senior Living Communities

Assisted Living vs. Nursing Home: The first tip is to understand an assisted living is very different than a nursing home. Sometimes the fears created by outdated nursing home stereotypes keep seniors from making a move to an assisted living community. These communities are vibrant living environments designed to help seniors age successfully. They allow older adults to maintain their independence, while still having staff close by when extra support is needed.
Good Economic Sense: Seniors and adult children often think assisted living communities are more expensive than they truly are. When you factor in how much you save on utilities, home maintenance, appliance repair, landscaping, lawn services, snow removal and food expenses, you can see how living at home — even when the mortgage is paid off — can still be expensive. When an older adult needs to hire an aide to assist with laundry, housekeeping, and transportation on top of other expenses, it becomes easier to see the value an assisted living community offers.
Communities are Regulated: A persistent myth is that assisted living communities don’t have very strong regulations in place to protect residents. In fact, they are licensed and regulated at the state level. Each state establishes its own regulations and conducts regular surveys of communities to be sure they are in compliance. Communities must make their survey results available for visitors to review. In some states you can even look the survey results up online.
Not All Equal: Don’t make the mistake of assuming you only need to visit one community because they are all alike. They are not. This is why you need to spend time visiting and touring a minimum of two or three communities before you make a decision. Investigate their commitment to senior nutrition and dining services. Explore their philosophy on aging and wellness. Get to know what makes them different and then decide if the community’s culture is a good fit for you or your senior loved one.

Our door is always open for seniors and adult children who have questions or would like to arrange a tour. We invite you to call or visit the Five Star Senior Living community nearest you for more information.