Assisted living is one of the most common types of senior living. But it’s also one of the most misunderstood. It’s a lot to take in and can be easy to get confused. That’s why we’re breaking it down to help you understand the ins and outs. From what it is to how to pay for it and more, this 101 will cover everything you need to know about assisted living.
What is assisted living?
Before we can look at things like what’s included in assisted living or how much it costs, we need to understand the basics of what it is and isn’t.
By Definition
Assisted living communities are licensed residential settings that provide housing; personal care; wellness, social, recreational, and health-related services such as nursing and dementia care; and 24-hour access to staff. These communities’ core principles include person-centered services and policies, as well as an adequate number of well-trained, supported staff. Person-centered services and policies promote quality of life, privacy, choice, dignity, inclusion and independence as defined by each individual and those who know them best.
Type of Care
That definition might make assisted living a little clearer, but there’s still a lot to understand. The root of assisted living, no matter what community or facility you’re looking at, is the care that is provided. If you break down the name “assisted living,” it really means “assistance with living.” Think about the tasks you do every day and are important to being able to live independently. Things like bathing, taking medication, using the bathroom, or getting dressed. As we age and face new health and mobility challenges, many of those tasks get harder. Within the senior living and healthcare industries, these types of tasks are frequently referred to as activities of daily living, or ADLs. In assisted living, residents received assistance with one or more of their activities of daily living.
Who should consider assisted living?
Now that we know a little more about what assisted living is, we can look at who it’s for. Assisted living is designed for someone who needs some help with some of their activities of daily living. If you don’t need any help or assistance with at least one of the ADLs, then assisted living might be more support than you need. There are also times when assisted living might not offer enough support depending on what assistance is needed every day.
What is offered in assisted living?
This is where you will start to see the biggest difference from one community or facility to the next. From the accommodations available to what is included or available, there’s a wide variety of choices with assisted living.
Accommodations
There are two main types of accommodations offered in assisted living – studios and apartments. Typically, a studio will be a single room, meant to be a bedroom and general living space. An apartment usually offers a bedroom separate from a general living space.
The bathrooms available in assisted living can also vary. Options can range from fully private bathrooms to shared community bathrooms. Sometimes assisted living may even feature a Jack and Jill bathroom where it’s shared by two residents and located between their rooms. This can sometimes be advertised as “semi-private.”
When it comes to kitchens, the options are just as varied. You may see some studios or apartments that have a full kitchen, a kitchenette, or no kitchen at all. Kitchens usually aren’t important with assisted living because food is included. In fact, not wanting to cook or clean anymore can be what inspires some to move to a senior living community!
What’s included
Like we just mentioned, food is usually included in assisted living. It may be part of the main fee or residents may have to pay extra depending on the facility. Dining is one area where you will see the biggest difference between communities. The atmosphere may resemble a family-style dining room or a restaurant. The menus can also vary significantly, with only a few options to choose from or a wide variety of always available options to choose from. Some larger communities may even have more than one dining option available for residents to choose from.
One of the hallmarks of senior living is activities or life enrichment. Like dining, this also varies widely from one community to another. As you might expect, bingo is a popular activity. But, there are a lot of other popular activities and events that may surprise you, like painting, woodworking, concerts, and happy hours. Most events and activities are included, but some events may require an additional fee such as paying for your meal on a dining trip.
Two other popular things that can be included in assisted living are housekeeping and transportation. Like the other things included, these can vary a lot from one community to the next. It’s always important to ask questions and make sure you understand what is included and what is available for an extra fee. Housekeeping can include things like dusting, vacuuming, changing linens, and doing laundry. This is often done on a schedule such as once a month, once every two weeks, or once a week. Transportation is frequently available on an as needed basis. There may be pre-scheduled group trips to places like the grocery that are free of charge. Many communities also offer transportation for things like doctors appointments. These trips may be included or they may cost extra based on the distance of the drive or the time needed at the appointment.
What does assisted living cost?
As you can see, assisted living not only includes a lot, but can be a lot different at every community. Even within one community or facility there can be a range of prices depending on the size of studio or apartment that is chosen, how much assistance is needed with activities of daily living (ADLs), and how the contracts are structured. As of 2024, most prices range from $3,300 to $8,000. At The Ohio Masonic Communities, prices range from $3,080 to $7,260.
How do I pay for assisted living?
Assisted living is a big expense. Even if you spent your whole career saving for retirement, you may be worried about the cost of assisted living and how to pay for it. While skilled nursing care is usually covered by insurance, assisted living unfortunately is not. Some people purchase long-term care insurance. While every policy is different, some include assisted living and will cover some of the costs. If you have a long term care insurance policy, ask your insurance company or a senior living community if assisted living is covered.
Medicaid Waiver
Some communities are approved to offer a Medicaid Waiver program. Don’t confuse its name with traditional Medicaid health insurance, though! The waiver program is designed to help older adults afford assisted living or memory care at an approved facility. The rules can vary, so it’s important to check with the community to find out what their requirements are if they offer Medicaid Waiver. Frequently, it requires the ability to privately pay for the first 2 years, called a spend down period, before the waiver program will kick in and start reducing the monthly cost. It also involves a 5 year look back where they look to make sure no large sums of money or assets have been gifted to avoid the spend down. Once the criteria are met, a new monthly fee is charged to the resident based on their monthly income and the balance of their remaining assets.
What if assisted living isn’t the right choice?
Assisted living is great for those who need it, but it isn’t always the right choice. Sometimes you may need more or less care or something more specialized. Thankfully, there are options available to meet every need.
Memory care
Sometimes, for residents with Alzheimer’s or dementia, assisted living isn’t enough. They might need extra support and a more secure environment. This is when memory care comes in. Memory care is almost always a type of assisted living. In rare cases, memory care may actually be a form of skilled nursing. With assisted living memory care, almost everything about assisted living still applies. The biggest differences might be the number of residents or staff, the types of activities or programming, and the physical environment. Memory care is usually its own section of a building, or its own building altogether, with secured doors to enter and exit. This creates a more secure environment for residents with Alzheimer’s or dementia who may wander or search for exits.
Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC)
A Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), sometimes called a Life Plan Community (LPC), is a type of senior living community that includes independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing care, and short-term rehabilitation. One of the biggest advantages of a CCRC is that you can move from one type of care to another without needing to move to a different community. This means you can move into independent living when you want and then have assisted living or memory care available if you ever need it. An added bonus is that at most communities, if there is a waitlist, current residents get to skip the line and go to the top of the list. This is a great way to maximize enjoying retirement and planning ahead for if your needs change.
The Ohio Masonic Communities offers assisted living at three senior living communities across the state of Ohio – Browning Masonic Community in Waterville, Ohio, Springfield Masonic Community in Springfield, Ohio, and Western Reserve Masonic Community in Medina, Ohio. If you are interested in learning more about assisted living, give us a call at 1 (877) 881-1623 or contact us here.