Is Assisted Living Your Best Bet For Senior Care?

Is assisted living the better pick? We’ll dissect its pros and cons to help make a hard decision an easier one.

Advantages of Assisted Living

The main benefit of assisted living is that it seems to simplify life for seniors and their families. Unlike in-home care, where a senior still has rent or mortgage to pay, plus utilities and food costs, assisted living handles it all via an all-inclusive fee. As such, its costs are usually quite affordable compared to in-home care.

Assisted living also offers help with various tasks that a senior may need to complete each day. It can provide on-site housekeeping and laundry, transportation, and meals to give seniors everything they need without help from outside the facility. Some facilities include nutritional and fitness support too, which is something that may be skipped with in-home care.

While moving away from home may be tough, seniors can overcome that loss with the socialization and recreation they get from living with others in the same situation. This allows them to stay active and make new friends, versus the inactivity and loneliness that can come once an in-home care specialist leaves after their shift.

Safety is another advantage of assisted living since facilities are outfitted to meet the needs of seniors. While a person may have to renovate their home to make it more accessible at an older age, there’s no need to do so at a facility made with seniors in mind.

Disadvantages of Assisted Living

Is assisted living the perfect pick for seniors needing care? No, as it also has its disadvantages.

As mentioned, leaving home can be difficult for someone who’s used to living independently and being around their loved ones for decades. This can cause separation anxiety for seniors and become traumatic in some cases.

Once you move from home into assisted living, there’s also a loss of autonomy and independence. Others control your schedule and activities. Combine this with a lack of privacy due to living in shared rooms or spaces, and some may find assisted living to be a last resort, even if it has so many advantages and can be more affordable and convenient than in-home care.

Paying for Assisted Living

The fact that assisted living can encompass so many things like housing, food, utilities, transportation, recreation, etc. under an all-inclusive fee is attractive. How can you pay for it, though?

Medicare may cover some services that are listed as medically necessary. Medicaid can help with a few health services, as well. Room and board costs are usually not covered by either program, however, which can leave a big gap that needs to be paid. Unfortunately, Medigap insurance won’t fill that void.

Where else can you turn to pay for assisted living? Resources like private funds, long-term care insurance, life settlements, SSI, and veteran’s benefits.