Eloise began trying to find an assisted living and memory care home seven years ago. She knew something wasn’t right with her husband, Leonard, a 67-year-old retired school teacher, began repeating the same stories. He also asked Eloise the same questions that she answered multiple times before.
The breaking point came when received a call from the Illinois State Police that they found her husband walking along the side of Interstate I-55. He was just outside the Springfield off-ramp, nearly 25 miles from his home.
When asked by the police why he was walking, he replied, “I wanted to get a meal at my favorite restaurant.” However, Leonard was unclear why he decided to walk there.
Eloise scheduled multiple appointments with medical specialists, who eventually diagnosed Leonard with signs of dementia.
Many families find themselves in similar situations every day when their loved ones memory begins to fade. So, what should be done?
Plan Early for Assisted Living
One day, your senior loved ones might develop Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Therefore, they might require assisted living, senior living care, nursing home, or other types of assistance.
You should begin doing your research early, while your senior loved ones develop any significant cognitive impairment. You want to be confident that they have a say in what will happen in the event you cannot take care of them anymore.
Assisted living and nursing home care will need a long term plan to pay for care. The National Center for Assisted Living reports that the average cost of assisted living care in the U.S. is $3,700 a month. For Alzheimer’s and dementia care, the national average price increases nearly $1,150 extra each month.
There are four major types of senior homes:
- Independent Living
- Assisted Living
- Nursing Home Care
- Continuing Care Retirement Communities
You can also find:
- Residential Care Homes
- Aging in Place
- The Village Concept
How to Research for a Reliable Assisted Living Facility
When many caregivers need to find a proper assisted living and memory care solution, they find out that there are too many options to make a sound decision. Here are some tips to help you find top-notch assisted living care.
Use Search Engines – The Internet is a smart place to begin your research. Try using Google or other search engines and search for: assisted living care, assisted living facilities, memory care, Alzheimer’s and dementia care, assisted living close to me, and similar searches.
Assisted Living Review Sites – When searching for assisted living, customer reviews could help you make a closer decision, or eliminate some senior care homes from your shortlist.
The objective of assisted living review sites is to give an honest and unbiased view of assisted living businesses and the services that are provided. In addition to these directory sites, you can also find reviews left on a company’s website, and even on video sites like YouTube.
Go to YouTube type in the business or city name and review and see what you can find. Examples:
Denver Assisted Living Reviews
or
“Company Name” Reviews
Ask Questions and Get Answers
You can find various Alzheimer’s, dementia and assisted living support groups. These groups provide up-to-date information about the illnesses and other information for seniors and their families.
The most significant benefit of being in a support group is that many other people are in the same or similar situation, and many of them have answers and tips on how they have coped and learned to live a better life despite the illnesses.
Family members who try to do everything on their own find themselves in isolation. The responsibility can sometimes become unbearable, and they develop illnesses related to caregiver stress.
Assisted living support groups are usually run by health care professionals or by people who have lived through or who still have a family member or friend who is a resident at an assisted living home in their area.
There are often local groups where you can meet up in your town, or you can try online assisted living groups where you can chat and leave messages with people across the nation, and even internationally. Strength often comes in numbers, and talking with people in online assisted living groups offers more anonymity for those who prefer it.
Useful Resource Links
Our Stepping Stones – Applewood Our House offers placement options for seniors in the Denver area . Whether families are looking for short term or long-term solutions, we can help them along the way.
Better Business Bureau – The BBB is a well-known and respected organization that informs consumers if businesses are in good or bad standing.
Caring.com – This assisted living directory lets you search many different types of senior care facilities, and then you can select your city or address.