Show Notes
In our inaugural episode of Senior Living Arizona, we went over the important facets that are vital to ensuring a happy home and happy life for any senior seeking a retirement community. This brings many questions to mind including, “What is the difference between Independent Living and Assisted Living?”
Every day people equate these two terms “Independent or Assisted” with an old folks home or a nursing home. We’re here to bust a few myths around this subject to help our listeners understand that Senior Living in 2022 is a far cry from the images evoked by those terms that no longer apply to our retirement population. First of all, we will offer an evolved version of the language people tend to use around this subject including calling these properties ‘facilities’. The term that more adequately describes Senior Living is “Community”. Can you hear the difference? Facility versus Community. This is what we promote to our audience and our residents because that’s who we are and that is what people deserve in the elder population today.
Retirement living at its best in today’s world is more like resort living when it comes to maintaining one’s independence. From housekeeping to fitness programs, dining experiences, and activities, both indoors and outside, there are amenities included but they are also optional or voluntary. So what constitutes “independence” you may ask. Well, basically that entails exactly what it sounds like. Independent living when it comes to retirement housing would be best described as someone who is looking for an environment that hosts people within their age group along with activities and amenities that support a hassle-free and enjoyable lifestyle. You may want to ask yourself some important questions such as:
- Are you safe at home alone and for a few days at a time?
- Are you healthy or do you have chronic conditions that need attention and will worsen over time?
- Do you rely on other people to help you with everyday activities or errands or do you handle these responsibilities on your own?
- And…Has your doctor expressed concerns over your living arrangements?
- Are you handling your own bills or does someone in your family or a fiduciary assist you?
- Do you need any help with daily activities of living such as dressing, bathing or cooking for yourself?
If your answers are simply, I don’t have any of these issues or you may have some issues associated with aging but they’re not keeping you home-bound or dependent on anyone else to manage them….then you’re an independent senior! Successful aging is easier to achieve when you’re surrounded by people and things that nurture your independence, health, and longevity. Sometimes we just need someone else to clean our house and we get tired of managing the maintenance and finances of a home but we otherwise continue to live life the same as always…maybe in slower motion, but the same, nonetheless.
Now one of the most advantageous aspects of a quality retirement community in the modern world is the offering of Assisted Living should a person require help as they advance in years. What does “help” mean? What constitutes the NEED for Assisted Living and what is the difference anyway? Well, that is where those same questions we asked a moment ago come in.
- Are you safe at home alone and for a few days at a time?
- Are you healthy or do you have chronic conditions that need attention and will worsen over time?
- Do you rely on other people to help you with everyday activities or errands or do you handle these responsibilities on your own?
- And…Has your doctor expressed concerns over your living arrangements?
- Are you handling your own bills or does someone in your family or a fiduciary assist you?
Do you need any help with daily activities of living such as dressing, bathing, or cooking for yourself? Do you do your own laundry, housekeeping, home maintenance, financial planning, and bills or are those duties overwhelming or impossible without someone’s help? Can you manage your own medications well? Are you letting things go around the house or are you letting your personal hygiene go by the wayside because it’s too much effort or you just forgot to take a shower for the last week? If you answer those questions for yourself and are aware of the areas that are falling short then you may want to investigate Assisted Living options. Or if you have a loved one, a friend, or a family member, that you witness having issues on a daily basis with any of these subjects then it’s time to consider better options for the long term.
When seeking the right senior housing for you or a loved one there are many things to consider that we went over in our first podcast including the first impression you get when entering a community, the location of said community, amenities that are offered, staff relationships with the residents, transportation options, whether or not maintenance and utilities are included in rental packages along with meals and housekeeping and then, of course, the financial aspect of senior living.
Moving to an Independent Living Community is a choice. People do not have to leave their homes. Most of us would rather stay put in the place we’ve raised our kids or worked our entire lives to create or we retired into our dream home and are super attached to being there. Deciding to let that go is a huge process and actually making it happen is a transformative experience that can be riddled with fear and anxiety or it can nurture a sense of wellbeing and freedom. It is all a matter of perspective and usually, it’s a personal journey supported by loving family and friends. Either way, it isn’t something forced out of necessity. It’s a lively step towards ease and grace as one ages, liberating a person from the responsibilities of maintaining a home that feel burdensome. Oftentimes, admitting that to one’s self is the biggest hurdle to overcome when assessing whether or not one is aging successfully at home.
Oftentimes, when you compare the cost of property taxes, maintenance costs of plumbing to roofing and appliances going bad, trees and landscaping that require attention, or a pool and hot tub that need resurfacing and all that goes with owning a home….you may find that the cost of an Independent Living Community is far less and the burden of responsibility, when removed from your shoulders, allows you to have the time and energy to do the things you love more than maintaining the upkeep of your home.
That being said, Assisted Living is more of a necessity. Some families believe whole-heartedly in multi-generational living, meaning, that the aged parents live with their adult children and everyone stays together. For many people, family taking care of family is preferred but for many, it isn’t a healthy choice. Family dynamics play a huge part in this process. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard an adult child say how much they love their parent but they just can’t live with them. Or the stressors of being an adult child with health issues that make it impossible to care for an aging parent. Not to mention the historical episodes in one’s family history that may lend to tension and misunderstanding that are decades old. There are so many layers of guilt and also anxiety that can arise just from the concept of taking care of an aging parent no matter how independent they may be. Same goes for the elder! For the parent, it is also a case of feeling like a burden to their adult children or they have different lifestyle choices that don’t mesh with their kids. In addition, many elders have cared for their own parents and know from experience how challenging it can be therefore they prefer to save their kids and themselves from repeating the same patterns. Oftentimes, the scenario of Independent or Assisted living allows the adult children to cultivate the relationship with their parent as just that…parent and child….instead of parent and caregiver.
The reality is that not everyone has family to rely upon as they age and not everyone HAS to go to Assisted Living one day either. We often hear of people who take their last breath in their home of many decades and they took care of themselves to the end of their lives. What a blessing, right? To have your wits about you and the ability to maintain your daily activities and personal care is something to aspire to for sure. That is the ultimate example of aging successfully.
The same goes for people living independently but in a retirement community. Not EVERYONE HAS to move on to Assisted Living. A truly responsible Independent Living Community is one where you can have your own caregivers or hospice should you need it. It is your home after all. Many people enjoy their retirement home in an independent senior community until the end of their lives just as they would if they were still in a big house with all the responsibilities to care for it.
Assisted Living is more of a NEED when someone advances to a point that they are no longer ambulatory and can no longer support their activities of daily living albeit cooking and feeding themselves, bathing and grooming themselves, dressing and toileting themselves among all the other routines and habits we take for granted when we’re young.
When a person slows down or failing health challenges them to the point that these routines and habits are ignored or forgotten or just plainly too difficult to manage, that is when Assisted Living comes in. That’s not to say that a person facing a chronic disease such as Parkinson’s would not benefit from Assisted Living at an earlier stage of their illness. There are plenty of “Age in Place” programs offered at quality Assisted Living Communities where a person in that situation can find great comfort in knowing that as their condition advances they won’t have to move again. As needed, the level of care that they need is available as they progress. That can alleviate a huge amount of concern right off the bat.
But in general, entering into Assisted Living does require a doctor’s assessment to define the level of care a resident needs which will then determine the financial cost of that medical attention that is provided in Assisted Living. That is a key offering that does not exist in an Independent Community. In Assisted Living, you should still have all the features and qualities that Independent Living offers such as the first impression you get when entering a community, the location of said community, amenities that are offered, staff relationships with the residents, transportation options, whether or not maintenance and utilities are included in rental packages along with meals and housekeeping and then, of course, the financial aspect of senior living. Assisted Living options include the various levels of care that your doctor assesses you need.
Hopefully, this information is useful to you on your search for the right retirement home for you or your loved one. It is such an important topic to research and understand so that you or your family member can truly benefit long term from the community that fits their choices and or needs perfectly.