As a continuation of last week’s posting I want to address head-on what I believe are the advantages of living in a senior community. This is more than a theoretical list: I have seen them lived out in communities I have helped to
develop and operate. I have seen them lived out in my own family members.
1. Safety and Security – I start with this one not because I think it is the most important, but rather because it is the primary motivator for most people to make this significant life change. Living in a retirement community means that someone is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, when there are problems and, as people age, there are always problems. Sometimes the problem is simply the need for reassurance.
In other situations, a rapid response can mitigate problems and even make the difference between life and death.
2. Activities of Daily Living – As a teenager I was always looking for ways to make a few extra dollars. One day I got a call from an ancient lady from my church. She needed some help weeding her garden and was willing to pay. I was eager to work. After I had been working in the hot sun for an hour or two, she invited me in for something to drink. I walked in the kitchen and she got a, “clean glass”, from the cupboard, filled it from the tap and handed it to me. The glass was disgustingly dirty. . . . It was not because she was a bad housekeeper, she just could no longer see well enough, nor did she have the dexterity she needed to wash dishes.
Easy access to someone to carry out or help with chores can have a huge impact on
quality of life for a senior.
3. Assistance with Medication and Physical Condition Monitoring– I knew that I had gained some weight, but when I took a look at a photograph taken of my father, me and my grandson, the most prominent feature in the whole photo was my gut hanging over my belt. It was startling. So often we just don’t pay that much attention to our own deteriorating condition and, as we age, this problem becomes more critical. In addition, as we age the number, complexity and potential danger of medications taken increases, making the whole process more complex. Living in a senior community maximizes the resources devoted to these realities.
4. Socialization – In my view this is the single most valuable aspect of a senior housing
community. Aging at home generally means one of two things. Either the senior lives in their home, by themselves or with an aging spouse, with the other primary companion being the television, or they live with younger family members, which provides the potential for better socialization, but also can create an undo burden on family members. Either way restricts the ability to socialize with peers. Both of these scenarios are likely to negatively impact the will to live.
I would like to hear from you on what else should be added to this list.
Next week I will talk about how to highlight these benefits when marketing your
community to prospects.
Steve [email protected]
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From Linked in Groups
Richard Ambrosius • Good list, but it will increasingly depend on the community culture. Today’s older adults value autonomy as much as those that came before, but now they have choices that were unavailable in previous decades. Empowered cultures with meaningful opportunities for both leadership and service will be increasingly valued. Autonomy, choice and empowerment are the keys to future success.
From Linked In Groups:
Your comments are certainly good points. If I were to assist an older person in need with a solution I would start with true needs. A solid needs identification methodology utilising the right people, is critical here.
In understanding their true support needs, their culture, what their home environment currently offers, the support services available in their home (either formal, spouse or family member etc) one is better positioned to identify necessary outcomes.
Once necessary outcomes are identified possible solutions can be weighed up.
Posted by Bruce Coller
From Linked in Groups:
the list?
Hi Steve,
I would like to add Continuity of life style as another major point to the list. I am not sure if this is true for US, but in India the current houses or communities do not cater to the continuing change that may be required due to changes in care needs.
Regards
Atish
From Linked in groups:
I am all for Seniors staying home when possible. My concern is their oversight; how can a POA assist when they have had no personal contact in 15 years? Without POA local children have conprimised ability to help their loved one.
Another concern is potential for financial abuse when they are home alone with no financial oversite. My concerns are based on my experiences
1.When a financial abuse concern is investigated no report is made to APS if settlement is reached by police who have limited pertinent information and may no be concerned about preventing the next occurance.Police will not take relevant information beyond their immediate concerns. The police are not trained to assess the elerly. They take a drunk senion home rather than follow the law. They do not report caregiver abuse if there in no prior.
2. In Vermont one cannot discuss concerns about POA conflicts of interest with authorities without a POA? How to proceed?
3. What happens when POA chooses to ignore medical advise?
These are two concerns about staying at home and vulnerable to well meaning but untrained public. Seniors can be manipulative to their oun detriment. Do we leave them to their own devices?
Some of these concerns may be valid when in assisted living as well but there should be more ways to address them.
Posted by Beth Barrett
From Linked in Groups:
Steve:
Being with peers and being active have benefits beyond a happy mind. The professional care benefits that you mention are very valid benefits of senior living communities. However, we need to acknowledge that some seniors will want the aging in place option, which enables them to feel independent and to be in close proximity to grandchildren. I believe that it is not an either /or solution. I would suggest that any senior living community should embrace the community around it and provide a continuum of services from Aging in Place to Skilled Nursing. The mHealth / wireless Health technologies that are emerging in the market in 2011 will enable this continuum of care and leveraging of assets to serve a larger population.
Our mission at HealthSignals is to enable senior communities to provide better living through technology in the communities and enable this expansion of scope for the surrounding communities. Also, re your point on marketing: if you are providing a limited service to the neighbors like a panic button or yoga lessons, you have “permission” to have a conversation with them and what better way to market than to start a conversation and understand their true needs.
Ravi Bala
I agree with Steve , the number one problem is lonliness. Most seniors want to stay in their homes as long as possible. In many cases they say healthier longer in a familiar surrounding. You have to remember that for an older person who has lived in a home for 40+ years, it is not just house. When you move a person, you also leave many happy memories behind. there may be a time when it is necessary for a senior to move but our mission is to keep them in their homes, with dignity, for as long as possible. We match them with a loving senior in their area who wants to help. they both benifit and it is like getting help from a friend.
From Linked in Groups
Well, you asked!
Counter arguments:
Cost (up-front or monthly), trauma of moving, downsizing of possessions, inappropriate selection of location or level of care for one or both partners, local and recommended top-quality home care, existing access to friends, peers.
Posted by Laurie Orlov
From Linked in Groups:
Can’t agree with you more! The benefits are amazing. I too work in a Senior Community and have seen first hand the change in status when a resident moves in. One of the biggest differences I see is that at home often seniors become deconditioned which contributes to falls, hospitalization and rehab and a general spiral downward. Our community is designed to keep residents moving, not from the couch to the kitchen but rather throughout the campus!
Posted by Mari Bohall
From Linked in Groups:
The advent of the Medical Home Model will allow more people to stay in their own homes longer rather than be admitted to assisted living or a skilled care facility once the funding issue get established and this model is recognized by insurance companies.
Posted by Shawn Hancock, LNFA
From Linkedin Groups:
Well, again I think one needs to avoid putting all seniors in the same box. We all do not need or want to age in senior housing.. Having been a Director in one for over 8 years and a senior myself this is my experience. Most of the seniors event though they enjoyed living in our community most of the time said to me often they did not want to leave their own home, the kids made them. Now there was about 10% in the community who actually needed supervision and either needed help in their own home to remain or move to a community setting. The majority could have and wanted to continue living in their own home. The most important thing that needs to be considered in theses decisions is not to do it to your parent’s but do it with them. If a doctor, or family or themselves has decided it is best they move to senior housing t0 then make sure they get to make the choices of what to take with them, which one they want to live in and help them meet with the appropriate staff and ask the right questions.
But there is many who are living independently and in fact still working part-time in other fields then their main career of the past or volunteering in their communities and live in their own home either with a spouse or alone like I do. Now of course I am not near 80 yrs old, but I am approaching the 70 mark in a few years and I can tell you I enjoy living in my home, having my young neighbors around me, watching their children, taking my daily walks in my neighborhood and volunteering and still have hopes of returning to work when I complete my MSN if not before. So not everyone should or wants to live their lives out in senior housing and I think we need to do more to support those who can and have a desire to remain in their homes. For example when I purchased my home almots 5 years ago I did it with being 80-85 in mind, and purchase a small one level home, in a close neighborhood with the bus terminal right on my corner if the day comes I no longer can or want to drive. My home was brand new so I knew I will most likely die before I need to replace a major item like a roof. I live where the yard and flower beds are maintained by the HOA and have access to a handyman when necessary or my neighbor lends a hand. I work hard to stay in the best physical and mental shape possible and my mother lived out her live until she died at 83 from bladder cancer in her own apartment with the support of myself and hospice toward the end with the exception of the last 2 weeks of her life.
So from both sides of the coin as a nurse who has worked in this environment and as an aging senior myself I feel for many reasons one being quality of life and the second financial we need to do a better job of finding ways to allow seniors who are able and want to do so to remain in their own homes. No matter how nice a place is there is no substitution for the comfort of the home you have sometimes lived in for many years, built memories and relationships in that home and there are no health mentally or physically making it any greater risk of a senior living in their home then a 30 years old. You know while more accidents happen at home they don’t all happen to seniors and young people can fall off ladders, burn themselves cooking, fall down their stairs etc. I think we need to think a little more about what that senior really views as quality for him or herself then wrapping them in bubble wrap to prevent what we believe to be too risky to remain at home.
My cousin’s mother will soon be 90 and has lived in her home with the support nearby of her family all her life since her husband died over 40 years ago and while she is now getting more frail and has some dementia she knows she is home she knows her environment she knows all the people who she sees everyday still in her restaurant that she has run up until about 5 years ago and still goes down every day to visit. And she says without a doubt if she had to leave her environment she would rather die.
Posted by Rose Raintree RN BSN MHA
From Linkedin Groups:
So I am just saying think on an individual basis not on a collective one when making decisions about someone’s life, we all do not fit in the same box and don’t want to.
Posted by Rose Raintree RN BSN MHA
From Linkedin Groups:
I think the continuing care offered by senior housing is a very important reason to live in a community rather than at home. You have all the health care options you need to recover and rehab and get back to your apartment right down the hall in most communities.
Posted by Maggie LoCicero
From Linked in Groups:
Living in a community provides an opportunity to share your life lessons and to continue learning new things. Everyone wants to keep an active mind. Whether it be from other residents or speakers who often come to communities, the environment promotes education.
Beth Ann Scanlon
Posted by BethAnn Metcalfe Scanlon
From Linkedin Groups:
I believe that people want to stay in their homes. An AARP survey showed that 80% of those surveyed said they desire to stay in their homes for the rest of their lives. Leaving the home that you have lived in for many years means leaving behind a comfortable setting, familiar community and many memories. Also, a certain amount of control is lost when you have to leave your home.
According to a recent survey, older adults fear moving into an assisted living environment and losing their independence more than death. The significant findings of the survey is that, when asked what they feared most, the participants rated loss of independence (26%) , moving out of home (13%) as their greatest fears. Only 3% cited fear of death as the greatest fear.
Often the home environment is what causes the difficulties. Let’s build or remodel houses with age-related conditions in mind so people can stay in their home.
Posted by Ken Dillingham, Sr.. CAPS
From Linkedin Groups:
Steve, out of your four reasons why senior housing is better than aging at home, I believe you are accurate with only one and that is the social aspect. Safety and security is as big a problem, if not bigger, in a senior housing facility than being at home. That is an argument in itself. ADL’s are also hugely questionable. Infact, the more I think about it, the more challenges I see existing in a facility with all four of your reasons. Your thinking is flawed. Spend a week in a senior housing facility or nursing home vs. being independent at home and then lets see how you feel about it.
Posted by Terence Donovan
From Linkedin Groups:
It is my firm belief that the social interaction and proper nutrition are the most important needs of elders. Let’s face it, who wants to always eat alone or prepare a fully balanced meal for one self? The activities that are included in any well established senior community add great value to a person’s life—much better than sitting at home alone, unable to interact with anyone just watching TV.
Posted by Kathy Foley
From Linked in Groups
Having run both independent and assisted living facilities; as well as selling for memory care, independent living and assisted living, AND home care, and now a Professional Geriatric Care Mgr, feel I can speak to both sides of your argument.
Study after study shows that ‘seniors prefer to live in their own homes’; home care agencies have grown exponentially in response to this singular fact. Average age of seniors in assisted living is 87! That alone tells me a lot. And lumping 70 – 90+ year old people together speaks to different cultural references.
Personally, my grandmother lived in a skilled facility for 7 years; beginning to die the moment she moved in. My mother moved into assisted living -only after a stroke. Prior, she lived, with a friend and companion in her own home; happily.
Professionally, I see the whole spectrum. Some people love the apt like atmosphere of senior facilities; but that is where there are many varied and dare I say, sophisticated activities – theater, symphony trips, e.g., pools, etc. However, these are not
the norm, and very expensive. “Help’ available 24 hrs a day, is not the nurse, but the one on call, and probably not the quality you might believe. There are more ‘at home’ monitoring devices available now-although the one person a senior needs is an advocate.
There is no ‘one size fits all senior care’! We have more senior residences than we can fill, and they now have more acute cases in assisted living, than planned was planned for. Home care is a viable alternative. Please don’t make blanket statements for a whole generation. Senior housing may be ‘awesome’ for one person, and the wrong choice for another. Get to know your senior; they will tell you what they want — not what their children want for them. In fact, it’s usually] the grandchildren with the clearest understanding.
Posted by Susan Ashley
From Linkedin Groups:
Continuity of lifestyle can be another advantage.
Posted by Atish Baisantry
From Linked In Groups:
It boils down to which FEAR is greater, living on my own…or loosing my independence. Most circumstances the mover occurs when the senior becomes afraid of hurting themeselves, or the caregiver role is too great and I need help.
Posted by Kendall Brune
From Linkedin groups:
I believe that most seniors need assistance with “activities of daily living.” They also need assistance in balancing a checkbook, choosing appropriate investments, filing tax returns, choosing supplemental medical coverage, disputing billing errors, arranging for service with utility company, arranging for a primary care physician, etc. Older adults need medical advocates. The issue of how to avoid abuse (financial exploitation) is an age old question for which there does not seem to be a good answer. Especially since many older adults s are resistant to receiving help.
Posted by Ramsey A. Bahrawy, Esquire
From Linkedin Groups:
There are so many things available now that can be done to make the home safer and more liveable that many of these fears of injury can be calmed. Granted the greatest fear among older adults is falling and 1 in 3 adults 65 and over will fall each year. There may become a time when it is impossible to stay at home. However, in my experience with my own parents and my wife’s grandmother, they were all adamant about staying in their homes and maintaining their independence. They were blessed that they all were able to stay in their homes until they died.
We understand the demands on caregivers and realize that many times it becomes almost more than we can bear. However, God never gives us more than we can handle and we don’t regret the time we spent making sure they could stay in their home and honoring their request to do so.
Posted by Ken Dillingham, Sr.. CAPS
From Linkedin Groups:
I am a strong believer in senior housing. I got my start working with seniors by having an internship at a Retirement Community. I think senior living provides great opportunity for seniors for everything from transportation to socialization to something I think people forget–services. How great to never have to change a lightbulb or fix the air conditioner again. But Rose’s first two sentences are the key–each senior is different, and what is ideal for one is not acceptable for another. Fortunately, there are many options out there for seniors to find what fits them best.
Posted by Jocelyn Dickman
From Linkedin Groups:
I enjoyed this read. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by Suzanne Yoder
From Linkedin Groups:
I totally agree I just want awareness that one size does not fit all, we are all individuals and need to be treated as such and just because we age does not mean we all want the same things then anymore then we did when we were 20.
Posted by Rose Raintree RN BSN MHA
From Linkedin Groups:
Care when needed 24/7. No more being alone and scared in the middle of the night. Competent, reliable help with ADLs and medication. Making new friends. Not worrying in a storm if the power will go out. Not having to shovel the driveway. Having nutritious meals prepared and served for you….
I’m all set to live in a senior community as soon as I am a senior!
Posted by Leslie Curtin
From Linkedin Groups:
It depends on the person. Living in a senior community can be wonderful for many people. Some HAVE to find other ways to meet those needs because they can’t afford to move into a CCRC or there is no affordable senior housing available. Some want to live in multigeneraltional environments or with family. It’s important we fund home and community based services too. They can provide support where seniors live if they do not want to or can not move.
Posted by Dianna Garrett
From Linked in Groups:
I agree with Laurie, and the fact that 85% of seniors want to remain home. In my 30+ year career working with seniors and interviewing them for my book, I have heard over and over from those in assisted living that they feel like prisoners.
At home seniors have more independence and can make their own decisions about when they get up, eat their meals, participate in activities, and maintain privacy. Imagine what it’s like to live your entire life making your own decisions and then having to live by someone else’s schedule and rules. Having limited choices in what you eat, how often and when you bathe, and losing privacy as staff comes in and out of your room as they wish. Imagine being pushed to eat a meal with many people in a dining room, when you’re not feeling well and just want to eat quietly in your room.
Imagine being told you have to move or get and pay for homecare to come in when you decline and no longer “qualify” for assisted living.
Imagine ringing a call bell when you need help to go to the bathroom and waiting and waiting while you try not to be incontinent, and it becomes more painful by the minute.
Should I go on?
Moving from home means giving up independence and choices. That in itself is enough of an argument against senior housing.
Posted by Angil Tarach-Ritchey RN, GCM
From Linkedin Groups:
the list?
Senor Housing is a great idea, but it is not home. Home is home. I see many come to our facility (a Hospice short term residential facility) who have lived for 30, 40 or 50 years in their home, and it is an extension of their life. My take is that if at all possible, such emotional attachments need to honored, respected and facilitated. There are many stories that a home stands for. It becomes the symbol, even temple if you will, of one’s life and family experiences.
I have also seen many thrive in Senior housing communities. It is important to be sure their is support when one of the community dies or gets ill.
Posted by Richard Gross
From Linkedin Groups:
Independence includes giving people the ability to choose where is most suitable for them at any particular point in time. One advantage of some new technologies is that individuals can have the best of both worlds by being connected to their peers in a virtual seniors community whilst still living in their homes and remaining in their own homes or with family.
Posted by George Margelis
From Linkedin Groups:
I think the choice is different for each family. It’s very important to recognize the right to make a choice and not place undo burdens upon families struggling to make the “right” decision for their situation. A huge plus for senior housing is socialization. Obviously this is very important. We may keep our seniors at home but is it fair if we are at work all day long and the Senior has only a TV to relate to while we are away? Would it be nicer for the Senior to live in a community with peers and the ability to engage in conversation and activities appropriate to their mental and physical abilities? I think so. Keeping your Senior loved one home may be the best choice until their physical issues dictate otherwise. That’s when families scramble to find appropriate care and that is difficult if they are unprepared.
Posted by Diane Brandtner
From Linkedin Groups:
As with many of these discussions, there are many differing points of view. I hav e been in the business since the 70’s and have seen all the changes in the industry. Many, many people have a far better and safer quality of life living in an assisted community setting.
Posted by Leslie Curtin
From Linkedin Groups:
I’m new to the business and the discussion; I have little experience at this point except that my mother is in a congregate independed living unit, and couldn’t be happier. What I hear most often from seniors that are in a senior facility is that they wish they “…had moved years ago!”. The trauma of moving lasts for only a few days or at most weeks. Dealing with home ownership and all that goes with it is a stress that goes on and on and aging makes these things much more difficult to deal with. I think we’ll soon see the age of entry to senior houseing going down as folks realize how richer their life can be without the stress of property ownership and maintenance. Plus all the reasons that Ms. Curtin cites.
Posted by Ron Southard
From Linkedin Groups:
Assisted living can be a good choice for seniors that need and want more care while staying independent as much as possible. residential options for seniors who want or need help with some of the activities of daily living(ADL’S) and ones that need 24hour supervision can also have a happy and productive life things like three meals a day and snacks also help with medication monitoring, prices can very depending on what care they need.
Posted by Wilma Small
From Linkedin Groups:
While there are pluses and minuses to the issues of whether to place a loved one in a nursing or senior housing facility, it is completely opinionated to state that senior housing is better than aging in place.
Statistics show that safety and security are in question on many levels, from the issues of poorly trained help to hiring help that have no business caring for other’s loved ones. The abuse and stealing that occurs is not just akin to the “lesser desired” facilities but rather to ALL of them. The CNA’s simply bounce from facility to facility. Having had my mother in one of the nicest and more expensive facilities in our area and seeing what $7.50/hr employees do to the residents if you are not an advocate for your loved one on a daily basis, I would dispute your first reason wholeheartedly.
As for your second reason, a senior is just as likely, if not moreso, to perform more of their ADL’s on their own vs. being in a situation where someone else could likely do it for them.
There are so many new devices out on the market that allow one to monitor their loved one’s ability to take their meds on a routine timetable. To say that a senior housing facility is better because you have to wait for the nurse to come around and hand your loved one a small plastic cup with four pills in it is HARDLY enough reason to justify the costs of such a facility. It sounds as though caregivers aren’t capable of monitoring or maintaining such routine and only facility nurses are. That is stupid thinking.
As for socialization, being in a senior housing facility could promote socializing. So could an Adult Day care facility and the individual gets to return to their OWN HOME at the end of the day. Additionally, an individual who may meet or socialize with others in a home also runs the risk of socializing less with those that they have known or are used to socializing with as others are prone to visit them less and less while they are now in a facility and not at home.
The fact is, a senior housing facility is right for some and not for others. Each individuals needs and situation must be taken into account and frankly, a nursing or senior home should be the last resort! 90% of seniors want to stay in their own homes! They don’t want to wind up in nursing or senior housing and fear dying in an unfamiliar surrounding and around people they do not know or trust.
What is “better” is to assess each individuals needs AND wants. But hey, thanks for sharing your opinion.
Posted by Terence Donovan
From Linkedin Groups:
the list?
As with everything, it is an individual need. Some people can handle living at home and are still vital participants in their communities and have family support. Many become isolated and prisoners in their own homes, especially during the winter months. Respite care maybe the answer, let them try it out, before making the final decision. Working with seniors and families, I also often hear we should have done this a long time ago, especially when there is a memory impaired senior. Often they move in when a crisis occurs and that is stressful for all involved
Posted by Mary Poole
From Linkedin Groups:
I agree that “…it is completely opinionated to state that senior housing is better than aging in place’, however it is just as completely opinionated to state that aging in place is better than senior housing. There are too many variables to make it a black or white issue. I am concerned when nursing homes are lumped in with other senior housing options. Nobody should ever want to or plan to end up in a nursing home. Nursing homes provide acute medical care for critically ill and are sometimes a last resort for seniors without funds to pay for their care. They are very different from assisted living communities and care homes. I don’t deny there are problems with abuse and neglect in senior housing facilities, but at least there is oversight and procedures in place to identify and address problems when they are reported. It has been proven that the vast majority of cases of elder abuse and neglect occur in the home, often at the hands of family members. Once someone is unable to care for themselves at home, it has been shown that bringing a stranger into the home can cost more and can be as stressful as transitioning to assisted living. Nobody should be pressured to leave their home unless it is an unsafe environment, and individual preferences should be respected. The comparison of choices should be balanced, honest and unbiased.
Posted by Linda Armas
From Linkedin Groups:
I don’t think one is better than the other–it just depends on the individual. My father-in-law is very anti-social and comfort centered. living with other people and the give and take it requires would be his own personal hell. On the other hand, the man I am caregiving for might be better off in a senior housing situation as he still has a lot to give and enjoys socializing. He could benefit from the activities and activity from living in a community setting.
Posted by Renee Carrell
From Linkedin Groups:
Everyone’s comments here are exellent and valid. I worked in senior living communities for over 8 years as a marketing director, before starting my marketing and public relations business, Young at Heart Communications LLC. I found while working at these communities that everyone’s situations are unique. No one had the same story.
So, I think the point here is: Some people are better living in their homes, with safety and caregiving in place, if necessary, of course.Then there are some that are better living at senior communities, due to all of the things mentioned in Steve’s article. I have seen both sides of the coins — one woman moved into an assisted living community that I worked for and NEVER liked it or settled in it. She eventually moved back into her house and was much happier. She was a private person that enjoyed living in her home and was never really a very social person. Then, on the other side I have seen seniors move into a senior community that absolutely loved it! They were more active, social and THRIVED in that type of setting.
So, the bottom line is that senior communities are not for everyone…but we hope that whatever choice a senior and their family maked, that it is the best one for them. Thanks all!
Posted by Diane Castro
From Linkedin Groups:
Steve, You missed one of the big ones. Transportation. Trips to the doctor, theatre, shopping, and wellness outings are crucial to seniors and often difficult and costly for caregivers who miss time at work and away from their immediate families. There is also professional medical support on these trips to insure fast response to medical needs in route.
Posted by Paul Moseley
From Linkedin Groups:
Senior Housing offers a community with neighbors as supports, educational and cultural programs. The Resident Care Specialist can assist with programs and resources to keep them safe in their apartments
Posted by Lisa Reidinger
From Linkedin Groups:
Ron, I’d like to piggy-back on your comment and tie in my thoughts on this. Full service CCRC’s offer the best of both worlds. Seniors who move into these communities as active, independent seniors benefit tremendously. Like you, my experience has been that people in these communities say they should have made the move sooner. By moving into independent first, the community becomes their home. Therefore, when care needs arise it is an easier transition. I would also add that in the CCRC’s I have visited, the care areas are engaged and of the highest quality.
Posted by Jill Hiller
From Linkedin Groups:
As an in-home provider I agree with many of these statements. I do not believe that home is the best place for ALL seniors, but it is the best place for those who want to stay home with services coming in to help with the ADL’s, medication management, checking on thier safety, and providing socialization. I feel one of the biggest barriers keeping seniors from moving is financial. The houes is paid for so why move into an apartment setting when the rent is always increasing?
I believe that home is appropirate for the right person as long as they do not become isloated, can function at a high level, and are no in danger.
Too many adult children disregard mom and dad’s wishes because they are getting old and don’t think right. Bottom line is respecting the person’s decision on where they want to age and then helping to honor that wish.
Posted by Denis L Ashauer
From Linkedin Groups:
We also need to remember that what is the right choice for today may not be right at some future point. Life and aging continue to march forward bringing both expected and unexpected results.
Even though most older seniors I meet would love to continue to age in place, they also see there is potential for some sort of care community in their futures should their ability to remain independent fail.
Posted by Stan Cohen
From Linkedin Groups:
Steve,
Kudos, you’re bucking the rising tide of in-home aging – but making statements that need to be said for the industry. Good job! You may also appreciate some of my views about the future of the industry on the Progressive Retirement Lifestyles blog: http://progressiveretirement.wordpress.com/
Posted by Art Carr
From Linkedin Groups:
Senior housing is great for people who are sociable, afraid to live alone or looking for the amenities that a senior facility can provide. Lots of middle-aged people I know are already talking about the carefree lifestyle of a retirement community with all of the activities and luxuries, and the reassurance that they will have care and assistance when they need it.
But some people, as Rose mentioned, want to be home and a facility will never fit that bill for them. Some seniors cannot make that adjustment and will lose ground in a facility with declining health or depression. It can’t always be avoided, but when an individual wants to stay home, and arrangements can be made, it should be respected. It’s important to treat seniors as adults and not mentally incompetent children.
Posted by Kim Shea
From Linkedin Groups:
Kim: Amen
Posted by Stan Cohen
From Linkedin Groups:
Jay, I agree with you and think community living should be encouraged for all ages, not just seniors. I think the ultimate supportive community has kids as well as seniors so kids learn to appreciate and respect elders and elders can help care for the kids. That is the way we were all designed to live.
Posted by Dianna Garrett
From Linkedin Groups:
I like the way you think, Dianna… Community living could be the new extended family as in days of yore down on the farm in a simpler, more pastoral age.
Posted by Jack Cumming
From Linkedin Groups:
Jane and William — Thank you for this point which seems as difficult for some good professionals to get their head around as a senior may have accepting the idea of community living. It isn’t about us and what we think is best; it is about our assisting an individual or a couple (and the family) with decision making about a safe and sustainably affordable arrangement that is also acceptable to the senior(s) which may or may not be community. Not to beat up on senior housing because there are good communities as well as those that are not, but one solution in housing just doesn’t fit all and therein lies our responsibility.
Posted by Becky Hopkins
From Linkedin Groups:
I have seen both sides. Some who loves to be in a senior community living and while others who regrets it. Most seniors I meet, panic at the thought of having to move elsewhere. For them home is like no other place. Late in their age, it is a huge factor for them to re-adjust to a new surroundings. Home is part of their identity and they panic at the thought of having to start all over again. “Fear of the unknown” can be the greatest obstacle. I agree with Jane’s view on this.
I believe this has a lot to do with the individual’s personality too. the more extroverted they are the more likely that they would fit in better in a community living. The more outgoing they are, likelihood of them socializing more and getting integrated with the community.
Posted by SAM GOPINATHAN, BE, MBA
From Linkedin Groups:
As Rose, Steve, and Kim have said, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The advancements in renovation techniques and home health technology can address each of the four concerns, poor vision excluded, enabling seniors to stay at home.
Posted by Todd Willhoit
From Linkedin Groups:
I agree with William Kurts, if you have the money and can afford a nice place and is your choice not someone else’ might be good. The adverage senior can not afford these places and I feel as long as they can manage should be left at home if that is what they want. I am a senior and so is my husband we could not afford it and both would hate it, we also still both work full time. Try making it affordable first.
Posted by Judie Vermilyea
From Linkedin Groups:
I’m reminded of the book “Mean girls grow up to be mean women” by Cheryl Dellasega. The social scene in a senior community can be just as viscous as that in junior high school. Those that may have felt alone, but still strong and independent in their home, can very quickly feel lonely even depressed if they don’t fit in at their new community. Families often encourage mom or dad to move to a senior community because it will ease their worry or burden, but forget that it may not be the best move for the parents.
Posted by Teresa Luetjen Keeler, MA
From Linkedin Groups:
I agree with Judie, cost is a major factor. In CA, the median pricing for a private one bedroom assisted living facility is about $42000 for a year. that makes it $3500 per month and it is just the median. Compare this with the rent for a regular one bedroom apt, it is about 1/3 that !!
** Data of $42000/year is from Genworth Financial “California – State Median: Annual Care Costs in 2011”
Posted by SAM GOPINATHAN, BE, MBA
From Linkedin Groups:
I will put it in the most basic terms I know… Add life to your years not years to you life. Home is where the heart is, not health as determined by the NASW or an MSW.
Posted by William Kurts
From Linkedin Groups:
I appreciate the diversity of the comments and viewpoints! It seems to me that “aging in place” is MUCH more viable if it takes place where “in place” is already more safe, secure, medically staffed and equipped, and where costs have been optimized by the economies of scale. My limited experience and research would lead me to conclude that all too seldom do prospective occupants actually and realistically “put a pencil to” the true costs of remaining at the family home and compare that cost with what is too often somewhat hastily perceived as the “high-cost” of a top quality senior living continuum. I therefore, too, advocate aging-in-place as a more prudent agenda when taken AFTER moving into independent congregate living arrangements. “…the best of both worlds.” is a good way to put it, Jill.
Posted by Ron Southard
I ran care establishments in the UK for 24 years. My observations are as follows:
1. Very few elderly persons wish to live in a community environment with their peers and would far rather stay in their existing home environment.
2. Those who become increasingly dependent are often not able to remain in the ‘sheltered’ environment which they have, usually grudgingly, accepted, largely at the insistence of their offspring.
3. Once in a sheltered/safe (secure?) environment they are increasingly reliant upon the staff. This can be good or bad. In my experience, it only take two ‘bad apples’ to create real misery for the residents of any complex. Because of their vulnerability, they are afraid to complain and so suffer indignities they would, in other circumstances, complain about. This is not restricted to community housing but also support care in their own homes.
4. On the other hand, I knew of a 90 year old, gracious lady, who had 2 sons who hardly ever visited her but would not consider a supported environment for her. She had very little contact with others and despite our complaints, became increasingly confused and eventually was forcibly (because of the family, not her) taken into psycho-geriatric care.
My ultimate conclusion is that every person is an individual. Some will benefit positively from community living and others not. Thank goodness that I. no longer, am a party to this decision.
In my opinion, there are plus’s and minus’s in all cases and no hard and fast rule. I have known folk revel in community care and others hate it.
Best of luck
Having run nursing homes and assisted livings, with also two parents that are both 80 and trying to stay in their own home, this subject is of great interest to me. My brother, who is a BSN and has been in geriatrics for 33 years, says when you ask an elderly person if they want to be home versus a senior community, the person really is answering whether they want to be healthy or sick. Home equals being healthy, true or not, in their mind. Another point is home health care usually is not anymore than a couple hours a day. If that’s all that is needed then great. However, referencing a previous post, if you need to go to the bathroom at 3:00 a.m. and you are unable to get up and do so, home health won’t be there. So while someone may have to wait for a call light to be answered in a facility, their will be someone there within a few minutes. In the home with home health, minutes turn to hours if the home aide is not there and you are alone. Appropriate placement is a key concept as trouble starts when a lesser level of care provider tries to do more than they are capable of or allowed by law to do. Just yesterday a 80 year old man with Alzheimers was found 33 miles from his house because his car ran out of gas. He had been reported missing since 5:00 p.m. the night before by his wife from their house. Luckily it turned out OK. Even luckier is that he didn’t run a red light or a stop sign and kill somebody or himself. Home is not always the best solution.
We are a changing society though. People don’t live in their homes for 50 or 60 years anymore. Look at all the condo developments that exist. People aren’t attached to their abodes as they once were. However, they will not stand for what their parents accepted either. They want private rooms in skilled facilities.
Hit send before I was finished. The boomers will want more and better choices, but they seemingly aee adverse to paying for them. They will look to the government even more, especially given their numbers. This is, and will, put great pressure on States on how to deal with this problem. States will try to keep their Medicaid expenses down by cutting reimbursements to virtually all providers at every level. They will push for more home care, even if it is not the right answer for some, and will sell it as giving the people what they want. Really it saves the state money based on what they reimburse home care providers and limiting the hours allowed in the home. The reality is 24 hour home care is almost twice the cost of a nursing facility and all you get is an aide. What the states and Washington D.C. are trying to do is spend less on more and more seniors in need of care. The great calamity is that quality will suffer along the way.
Tom you are absolutely right. There are huge challenges with respect to the lack of financial resources. I am no kind of prophet, but I kind of expect that in the next 10 years or so we will begin to see a new kind of senior housing emerge, where it will be more college dormitory like. The services will be sufficent but the ammenities minimal, resulting in a more cost effective model.
From Linkedin Groups:
I could not agree more…as an interior designer and color consultant for senior living facilities…we have seen more positive in the community facility setting than as individuals on their own. Socialization is key…even those we have interviewed in our design/color preference process have the opportunity to socialize or not in the larger community setting and prefer the available options that “aging in place” does not.
Posted by Deborah Hattoy
zip code 21804
l need to know what is available in this area .zip21804
The adoption of high-tech solutions in senior living communities in Florida is revolutionizing how seniors experience their golden years.
The cost of nursing home costs in Florida varies based on factors like location, room type, and level of care. Families should explore options to find a facility that balances quality services with affordability, ensuring loved ones receive the support they need