Does senior living confuse or overwhelm you? You aren’t alone. There’s a lot to understand. In fact, there are different types of communities, contracts, care and more. Even the phrase “senior living” can have different meanings. Senior living care levels are a core part of senior living. They’re incredibly important but can be challenging to understand.

What is senior living?

With so many things to understand about senior living, it can be helpful to think about it in parts. You can think of each element of senior living as a building block. When building a house, there has to be a strong foundation. This is why the building blocks of senior living are so important. They help us answer the question “What is senior living?”

Senior Living Care Levels

One of the primary building blocks of senior living is senior living care levels. In simplest terms, care levels define the type and amount of care. Senior living generally includes five main levels of care. Independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing care, and short-term rehabilitation. Before discussing them in detail, it’s important to understand what the other three building blocks of senior living are.

Senior Living Community Types

The next building block of senior living is community types. Generally, these are formed around the levels of care. For example, a community may offer one type of care or a combination. The combinations may seem almost endless. But, there are a few community types that are the most common. For example, some communities may offer only independent living. On the other hand, others may offer a combination of two or three care levels. These could be independent and assisted living, assisted living and memory care, or all three. Less frequently, a community may offer all five levels of care. These are Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) or Life Plan Communities (LPCs).

Senior Living Contract Types

There are several types of contracts found in senior living. This is the hardest senior living building block to understand. When looking at a senior living community this can also be more challenging to determine. Contracts can be broken down as rental, entrance fee, and equity. However, there can be different contract types within each of these. In essence, the differences in contracts can be boiled down to three things. How much money is paid each month, how much money is paid up front, and if there is any ownership.

Senior Living Lifestyle and Amenities

Lifestyle and amenities are often a hallmark of senior living. They’re what make it fun and worry-free. That’s why they’re the fourth building block. Lifestyle is frequently thought of as events and activities. It can include almost anything. Popular events at The Ohio Masonic Communities include painting classes, dinner outings, movie or game nights, and crafts. Amenities is often the luxuries included by living there. At The Ohio Masonic Communities, this includes things like maintenance, landscaping and snow removal, on-site dining, and fitness centers.

Senior Living Care Levels in Depth

Looking at the basic building blocks of senior living, it’s easy to see why it can be so confusing. Understanding the senior living care levels available is crucial to navigating senior living options.

Independent Living

Independent living is the easiest level of care to understand. That’s because it’s the most straightforward. The simplest definition of independent living is living independently in a senior living community. This means that there is no medical care provided. Residents live in their own villa, condo, or apartment at the community but benefit from the lifestyle and amenities. Older adults often move to independent living for two reasons. Maintaining their house is becoming too much work or they want to be more social.

Assisted Living

Assisted living is a little more complicated. It offers more than independent living, but not as much as other levels of care. Consider each word – “assisted” and “living.” Assisted living offers some support and assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs). There is also nursing staff available 24/7. Like independent living, assisted living offers older adults the benefits of lifestyle and amenities. Residents just get assistance with their daily activities when they need it. Many times, this can even be as simple as reminders to take medication.

Memory Care

Typically, memory care is a type of assisted living. The main difference is that it is designed for older adults with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Almost always, memory care is a secured area requiring a code to enter or exit. Memory care also offers programming tailored to someone with memory challenges. The right environment and support can help an older adult with dementia thrive in senior living.

Long-term Skilled Nursing

This is the most involved level of care. Often, people think of skilled nursing or long-term care as “nursing homes.” This level of care provides 24/7 nursing care. It’s similar to assisted living, but offers more care and higher levels of assistance. Skilled nursing care tends to be more medical. It can include things like wound care, IVs, catheters, or feeding tubes. It isn’t all medical, though. Residents in long-term care also enjoy the social lifestyle benefits of senior living.

Short-term Rehabilitation

Short-term rehabilitation, also called rehab, is almost identical to long-term skilled nursing. There are just two main differences. First, unlike long-term care, it’s usually temporary. Second, physical and occupational therapy are usually key components. Unlike other levels of care, short-term rehabilitation isn’t age dependent. Most senior living communities are 55+. However, short-term rehabilitation is usually open to anyone that needs it. Frequently, rehab is useful after an injury, illness, or procedure like a joint replacement. The goal of rehab is to help someone get back to living as independently as possible after a medical event.

Go Deeper with our FREE Guide to Senior Living Care Levels

This is only scratching the surface. There’s much more to learn about senior living care levels. But, no one has to navigate it alone. The Ohio Masonic Communities is Here to Help. You can request our free guide to senior living care levels. It details each care level, and explains who benefits most, what accommodations it offers, what’s included, pricing, and more.

Here to Help

We have an entire library of resources available for you. You can request any of our free guides that addresses topics such as caregiving, memory changes, and senior living community and contract types. The guides answer some of your biggest questions and help you navigate senior living. You can see our full library of Here to Help guides and request your free copies here.

At The Ohio Masonic Communities, we want everyone to have the resources they need to navigate their journey.  If you want to learn more about senior living care levels, we’d love to hear from you.  Give us a call at 1 (877) 881-1623 or contact us here. We have 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.