How to Select a Good Senior Apartment

No matter if your search into finding senior housing is the result of a serious medical condition or simply because you want to change things up, there are a great deal of things to consider in your choices, and it can be a challenge for both you and your family too. Though the earlier you can sit down and figure out your needs and how those could change over time, the more you’ll be able to have the choice and control you desire in just such a situation.

Whether you are now searching for senior housing because of a sudden medical condition or because you think it would be the right change, there are many things for you for your to consider. Navigating through all of the different choices available can be challenging. However, the earlier you sit down and begin to figure out your present needs and how those needs may change over time, the more informed your decision will be. 

Here are some things you might think about before making a choice:

• Physical and Medical Needs. You might need some assistance with physical tasks as you get older. This can be anything from shopping, cleaning, cooking, and looking after pets. It could also include more intensive tasks such as bathing, moving around, or eating. Either you or a loved one might also require increasing help with any medical needs that could come from some sort of sudden medical condition, like a heart attack, stroke, or something like Alzheimer’s, which is more gradual and needs more and more care over time.
• Home Maintenance. The home you currently occupy could someday become too difficult or expensive for you to maintain on your own. You might have some health issues that make it more difficult to get things like housework or yard maintenance done.
• Social and Emotional Needs. Our social networks will most likely change as we age. Friends or family members might not always be close by and that trusted neighbor could move or pass away. Getting transportation to visit friends could also become difficult if you reach the point where driving yourself safely is not an option. You could also want more social opportunities, while avoiding becoming isolated or housebound.
• Physical Needs. Rearranging and making modifications to your home and long-term care can be expensive as well. Properly balancing the care you need and where you would like to live often requires careful evaluation of your budget.

There is a great deal more to carefully consider and think on when deciding what the right type of senior housing, and we’ll quickly list a few more of them now:

• Aging in Place (good if you have a close network of friends or family nearby, easy transportation, a safe neighborhood, and more)
• The village concept (a good option if you want to be on your own but have access to specialized programs and services, like transportation to the store, home health care, or help with household chores, all while maintaining a network of social activities with other village residents)
• A Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) -These, like village concepts, allow seniors to stay in their own homes and still have access to local services, volunteer programs, and social activities but who they normally exist in low-income areas)
• Independent living (You might consider this option if you see needing minor assistance with daily activities, you’d like to live somewhere that doesn’t need much maintenance or upkeep, or you like the idea of socializing with peers while having activity options close.)
• Assisted living (This would be a good choice if you need more personal care services than you can afford at home or in an independent living facility, or you don’t require medical care throughout the day and supervision of a nursing home)
• Nursing Homes (This might suit you best if both your medical and personal care needs have become too much for you to handle at home or in another facility—due to recent hospitalizations or chronic illnesses that have gradually grown worse. It could also work if you need a higher level of care temporarily because you anticipate that you’ll be able to go back home or to another facility after a while.