The cost of assisted living care for seniors is on the rise. Each year there are more seniors living in the United States, and they accumulate medical costs that were unheard of decades ago.
Assisted living provides services for seniors that are not as restricting as a nursing home, but provides much more medical assistance than home care. Many seniors have to choose between staying in a nursing facility, assisted living facility, personal care home, or even in their own home.
Below we will discuss the top three types of care for seniors and what they cost.
Assisted Living Care
Assisted living communities generally use a layered system, including various bundled options. Costs will vary depending on geographic location, apartment size, and the types of services needed by senior citizens.
Assisted living costs include basic living expenses that involve rent, utilities and food. Depending upon the size of the living facility and their amenities packages, residents also receive:
• 24 hour security
• Housekeeping
• Health Care
• Social Activities
• Monitoring Services
• Maintenance
• Lawn Care Taxes
• Insurance
• Trash Removal
• Repairs
If senior citizens require minimal assistance, their tiered rates would be at the lower end since assisted living communities are designed for those who cannot live on their own safely. Assisted living facilities also help with medications through a licensed nursing service, scheduled transportation for social events, and doctor appointments.
States that have a higher cost of assisted living care for seniors ($4,000 – $5,000), include: Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
The states with the least expensive monthly assisted living costs ($2,300 – $2,900), are: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, and Missouri.
MetLife ran a survey in 2012 that that showed the national monthly average of assisted living costs was $3,500. Colorado’s monthly average was $3,520 a month in 2013.
Nursing Homes
Nursing homes are personal medical care facilities. They are dedicated to elderly patients who need physical or mental illness assistance. Unlike an assisted living facility, a nursing home provides long-term medical care with a 24-hour monitoring, licensed staff and advanced medical equipment. The majority of nursing homes throughout the U.S. Include professional healthcare givers and aides, who specialize in:
• Skilled Nursing Care around the Clock
• Physical or Speech Therapy
• Hospice Care
• Pain Management
• Rehabilitation Services
Additional assistance involves bathing care, grooming, mobility services, and more. Researching nursing homes require family members to ask some of the following questions:
• Is quality medical care available?
• Do they assist in dressing and grooming?
• Is there appropriate staffing 24/7?
• Is the nursing home clean and odorless?
• Do they have a caring staff?
• Is there a full schedule of activities available for residents?
The cost of assisted living care for seniors in nursing homes depends on the type of accommodations, length of stay, medical care, and geographic locations. The average annual 2013 costs for nursing homes with semi-private rooms were $81,000 and $90,500 for private rooms.
In-Home Care
Senior In-home care is on the rise for families who want their loved ones with disabilities to remain in their homes. The senior home health care system is a government regulated service that provides qualified aides to care for the elderly in their homes. The in-home healthcare specialists provide:
• Physical Therapy
• Nurse Visits
• Assistance in Dressing and Grooming
• Bathing Assistance
• Light Meal Preparations
• Light Housekeeping
The costs for in-home care depends on how many hours that a caregiver is required, the services and supplies needed, as well as the number of days each week that someone is needed. In-home care services for seniors are usually run by Medicare, and their aim is to keep patients at home rather than placing them in a nursing home.
Medicare has a number of different programs statewide, and an in-home placement staff is experienced to help families keep their loved ones at home with quality care. When seniors stay at home, it aids in their recovery and families are saved the burden of financial and physical cost of assisted living care.
Cost of Assisted Living Care for Seniors – Conclusion
It is clear that there are numerous options for dealing with the cost of assisted living care for seniors. Families need to decide with their elderly loved ones, which type of assisted living plan is right for them.
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