What is Senior Living?

What is senior living? If you’re like most seniors or adult children, you wouldn’t count yourself an expert.

There is often a stigma that surrounds senior living. Most people think of a nursing home instead of a thriving, independent community. And that’s true of much of the reporting we’ve seen lately in relation to COVID-19 coverage.

In the last 10 years, we’ve seen great strides and changes in options for seniors. Senior living communities are moving away from care-based models to social-based models. While the former was primarily focused on physical care, such as nursing homes, social-based models acknowledge the emotional and social needs of residents, as well as ensuring the resident receives the physical care they need, too.

The most common types of senior living are:

Independent Living – A community for seniors 55 or older looking to make a move to an environment that allows access to additional resources. (Dining program, housekeeping, events/activities, home maintenance, and access to transportation, for example.)

Assisted Living – A community for seniors 55 or older looking to make a move to an environment that allows access to the additional resources independent living may provide, as well as personal care services.

Memory Care – A community for seniors diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia-related illnesses.

The senior living industry is adapting in this current COVID-19 climate with the goal of keeping senior living both safe and active/engaging. Communities are getting inventive to keep life as normal as possible during these changing times, including establishing “zones” within a community that allows for ongoing social interaction with residents, but within smaller groups to continue to reduce infection risks and follow best practices. While you still have your own private apartment, you’ll have the option of dining with, enjoying activities with and engaging with your zone.

Additional precautions are being taken with daily screening of staff and restriction on additional visitors to communities. While it’s uncertain how long restrictions will last, we know that communities are doing their best to get back to “normal” as soon as possible.

When a senior makes the move to a senior living community, they no longer need to worry about grocery shopping, cooking, maintaining their yard, finding a ride to a doctor appointment, or what would happen if they have a fall. That is still true during COVID-19.

No longer will you be going through this struggle alone – you’ve got a team of people to support you every step of the way. If you are interested in learning more about the new look in senior living, give us a call. We’ll talk you through it.