Choosing a senior living arrangement can be rather tricky. Not only do communities vary hugely in quality: they are also all suited to different kinds of residents. This guide should help you match up your needs with a style of senior living community suitable for you, and remember, senior living in Glendale is amongst the best in America.
General Considerations
As well as the kind of senior living arrangement you need, you’ll also need to take some general quality factors into consideration when choosing a new residency.
When considering a senior living community and apartment homes, Brightview Senior Living in Baltimore suggests you answer the following questions: Is the layout designed to provide a safe living environment? Do the kitchen and community provide the amenities you need? What kind of technology is offered, like Wi-Fi to connect to the internet? These are all rather general considerations that you should make before choosing a senior living community. You should ask questions about these factors regardless of what level of care you might need. With that in mind, let’s go over some of the broad categories that senior living communities can fall into:
Independent Living Apartments
Independent living communities are great for seniors that want to live with people their own age but who don’t require any specialist medical care or catering. They are essentially gated apartment communities only available to people over the age of 60. Often located near the beach or open parkland, these communities let people rest and socialize amongst their peers. These communities can be the size of a small city. The largest of them all is located in Florida and houses around 51,000 people.
Enriched Housing
Enriched housing communities are similar to independent living apartment communities but suitable for people with more complex needs. Residents live in their own apartment but have access to catering, medical help, and regular visits from caring staff. Residents can opt-out of eating communally to provide for themselves and live a more independently driven life. Regular get-togethers and trips out to cultural events are organized within enriched housing communities.
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
Continuing care retirement communities are designed around the concept of ‘aging in place’. This means that the community has the facilities necessary to look after residents as their needs become more complex over time – allowing them to receive more care without moving establishment. Residents often start off their time in a private apartment before moving into more intensively caring accommodation when their health deteriorates. Moving home is stressful, and continuing care retirement communities exist primarily to eliminate the need for unnecessary upheaval.
Skilled Nursing Facilities
Skilled nursing facilities offer 24-hour care to residents who have very complex needs. Elderly residents who have suffered strokes or have acute cognitive impairment can reside in one of these facilities. A skilled nursing facility aims to allow a resident to live as independently as possible while having access to top-quality medical care, case management, and in some cases, cognitive therapy.
