Today I would like to help explore
Retirement Communities
and the steps involved in choosing to become part of this type of
community. Most people, especially as we age, need to feel secure about
the future and that they will be taken care of.
Many retirement
communities offer the security of continuing care throughout all the
different levels of care that may be required: this is called Continuing
Care Communities (CCRC). That may be independent living in small
individual homes or apartments or it can also be
in-home care services, personal care level, skilled nursing care or specialized dementia care
all housed on their campus. Depending on how much security you want or
what think you may require, you want to keep all those different levels
of care in mind when looking for a retirement community to move to.
Typically, you are guaranteed placement in any of these levels of care
on their campus by being a resident of their community. That alone can
be a huge relief and sense of security as you advance through the aging
process. Most people do not advance into the later stages of their
lives without some kind of health or physical setback. Keep in mind
that not all retirement communities offer all levels of care so if this
is something you are looking for, you can start to eliminate some
communities off your list that do not include these different levels of
care.
Next thing you want to look at are the
activities
that take place on campus. If you want to remain active in the
community and outside of the campus, it is important to know what is
available to help you achieve that goal, especially if you are at a
point where you are not driving any more. Many communities offer
site-seeing bus tours, routine trips to local grocery stores, fitness
rooms, swimming facilities, billiards, shuffleboard, internet access,
trips to go out to eat, shuttle services on campus, senior clubs, music
programs, pet visits, inter-generational programs and much more. You
want to be sure that the activities they offer are of interest to you
because you don't want to move in and then have nothing to do!
Lastly you want to look at the
financial end of it. Most of these communities require a minimum dollar amount of
assets
for you to be considered for admission to their campus. These numbers
can sound huge as you research this and I agree it is amazing how much
is required by some of them. But keep in mind that if you choose a
community that is going to ensure your care, even after your funds are
depleted, you will be cared for until the end of your life. Many of
these establishments offer what is called a benevolent or caring fund;
there are different terms for this fund depending on where you are
applying. Basically what these funds do is guarantee your care after
your funds have been exhausted - that is a huge benefit in ensuring that
you Age with Ease. Be sure to inquire about this when you are touring a
campus as not all communities offer this. Those facilities that offer
those funds though do tend to require a higher amount of assets for
admission.
The order of importance of the above areas I described
depends solely on you. If finances seems like the best area to begin to
locate a community that will work for you, then begin there. Just
don't forget to look at the other areas as well. You would not want to
make this move and have a setback in your health and then need to
relocate again because you need a higher level of care. Nor would you
want to move to a place that offers nothing of interest to you for you
to stay active in life.
One other thing I would like to say about
this. I hear this all the time from older adults: "I am not ready for
this," " I don't want to live with old people," "We will look into it
soon." Let me say this: Most of these establishments have, on average, a
3-5 year waiting list for entry into independent living, so start
shopping now and plan for your future just as you have done throughout
your whole life. You may not be ready today but you might be soon. If
you are proactive in this process, it can help prevent those crisis
situations from arising.
Recently when my family was shopping for a long-term care facility for my
grandmother
when she began to deteriorate, had we not already made inquiries and
filled out some applications she would not be in the wonderful and
caring facility that she is in today. She came to that crisis level of
needing care and when she was to be discharged from the hospital it was
clear that my mother could no longer provide the level of care that she
needed.
Long term care was the only option and
thankfully we had already begun the process of looking for the right
place or we would have had to go with what the hospital social workers
were recommending. Because I work in this field I knew that these
facilities that were being offered by the social worker were not
anywhere that my family would be happy with, we directed the hospital
social worker to the facilities that we had already applied to and that
is where she is today. Once again, knowledge is power.
Let's
face it, most people do not know much about caring for our older
adults. There are so many services out there but people do not know how
to find them. I hope my blog can help people find answers and
direction to aid in the process of
Aging with Ease.
Click here to
view a helpful site to find communities in your area. It gives you a
list of locations for your state, but it is a place to start to develop
that list and then go from there. Happy Clicking!
