A little-known element of senior living is the waitlist. Sometimes it can feel like a lot of hurry up and wait. When you or a loved one are looking at senior living communities and decide it’s time to move, there may or may not be a waitlist. But, just because there’s a wait doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do. Used strategically, time on a waiting list can be helpful for you or your loved one to be ready to move.
The Senior Living Process
Every senior living community follows their own process. But, there are some standard elements. For starters, when someone first begins looking at senior living, whether out of interest or necessity, there are probably phone calls and/or emails. In this stage, you and the community are learning about each other and what your needs are.
Eventually, the next stage is usually to take a tour. This could be the older adult interested in senior living themselves, an adult child looking for their parent, or a family affair. During a tour you’ll get to see the community, meet staff, and have your questions answered. Hopefully, after the tour, you know if the community is a good fit or not.
Where the process begins to vary from one community to the next is the application process. Some communities may have no application process while others have one that is rigorous. Most fall somewhere in between.
Like applying for an apartment, or making an offer on a home, the application let’s the community know you’re interested and help them determine if you or your loved one is a good fit. If you’re looking for assisted living or memory care, this is also usually when an assessment will be done to gauge how much assistance could be needed.
Once the application is approved, the move in process can begin. Sometimes, this is as simple as paying a deposit and getting the keys. Other times, it may involve a waitlist. Every senior living community has a limited number of homes, apartments, suites, or rooms, available for each type of care. At times, the one you or your loved one needs could be full. When this happens, you are generally added to a waitlist.
Senior Living Waitlist
The way a senior living waitlist works is often similar to being on a cancellation list for a doctor’s appointment or flying standby. When a unit becomes available, the first person on the waitlist is called. They can choose to accept that unit or pass, waiting until the next one becomes available. If they pass, the next person on the waitlist is called. That process continues until someone is ready to take the unit that is available.
As you tour communities, you will likely find that even within a certain level of care at a community there are multiple options. For example, independent living may have 3 different floor plans of villas and 2 different floor plans of apartments. Within each of those 5 independent living floor plans, there may also be different finishes, such as cabinets or flooring. Occasionally, a future resident may want a very specific floor plan with specific finishes. When that’s the case, the time spent on the waiting list can be significantly longer. That’s because there may only be a couple of potential units that don’t become empty very often.
Senior living waitlists can be unpredictable. Sometimes an offering at a specific community may be in high demand, creating a longer waitlist. Other times, the same offering, at the same community, might have immediate openings. Timing is everything. But it’s also unpredictable. If you think you or a loved one might be interested in moving to senior living within the next 6 months or year, it’s never to early to start the search and apply for what you want. Then, if there is a waiting list, your new home will be ready when you are.
What to do While You Wait
Just because there’s a waiting list doesn’t mean you have to sit idly by and wait. These are some of the best ways to spend your time on the waitlist.
Downsize and declutter
The experts say to start early and start small. That’s a perfect reason to get started as soon as you’re on the waitlist.
Sometimes downsizing is thought of as moving from a big home to a smaller one. While that’s true, it isn’t always the case. Sometimes, downsizing is just about getting rid of stuff you don’t use or need. It could be getting rid of the extra sheets and towels you haven’t used in years. Or it could be more general decluttering.
So what does it mean to “start early and start small?” Downsizing experts suggest that you start with a single shelf on a linen closet. Once you’ve gone through each item on that shelf, you move on to the next shelf. Eventually, the whole closet is done and you’re ready to move on to the next closet or room. Picking something small, like a shelf, can help you feel like you’re making progress without getting overwhelmed.
Hear from a Professional
Other professional downsizing tips include things like deciding what can be donated or sold, making it fun, and involving loved ones. Hear some downsizing tips and tricks from a professional in this episode of Senior Living Today.
Pack
One of the most dreaded parts of moving can be packing. Frequently, that’s because of trying to pack too many things and not having enough time to do it. But, there’s no need to wait to start packing until your new home is ready for you.
A senior living waitlist is the perfect time to start packing. If you start now, you might be ready when your new home is. Plus, it can make the packing process less overwhelming.
Packing can also go hand in hand with downsizing and decluttering. As you begin downsizing, think about what items you might not use very often. For example, it might be fall and you know you won’t be moving until spring. As you’re downsizing, when you get to your closet, you may notice a lot of clothes and shoes that you only use in the summer. You may consider packing those items now. Then, as the saying goes, you can kill two birds (downsizing and packing) with one stone.
You may decide packing isn’t for you. For an additional fee, moving companies will often offer packing services. When hiring a moving company, be sure to vet them. You might want to read their reviews, make sure they’re insured, and find out how often they get reports of broken items. When you’re touring senior living communities, ask if they have a preferred moving company to work with. Occasionally, they may even offer an incentive, like covering some of your packing and moving expenses, if you agree to move in before a specified date.
Make Connections
Just because you don’t live at the senior living community yet doesn’t mean you can’t start making connections with your future neighbors. Some senior living communities offer ways to be involved on campus while you’re waiting to move.
Every senior living community is different when it comes to getting involved before you move. Some communities may offer benefits such as allowing you to come for an occasional meal, use spaces like the fitness center, or join events on campus. Other communities may offer exclusive events for those on the waitlist. These events often offer people on a waitlist the chance to meet some of the current residents and see the community again.
Sometimes, when a community is having a large event, they may extend an invitation to anyone on the waiting list. This could be things like a summer festival, a holiday bazaar, or a theater group outing.
If a community is building new apartments or homes, there can be extra benefits for getting on the waitlist early. When you’re on the waitlist for something that is still being built, the community may offer exclusive hard hat tours so you can see the progress. If you’re on the waitlist early enough, they also may offer the opportunity to choose your finishes, such as the cabinets, paint, and flooring. Especially if you’re looking at a community that’s building, there’s no reason to wait to join the waitlist!
When the Senior Living Waitlist is Internal
Some senior living communities offer several levels of care. They could offer a mixture of independent living, assisted living, memory care, short-term rehabilitation, and long-term skilled nursing care. In some cases, they may offer all five. Those communities are known as Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs). One of the biggest draws of a CCRC is that a resident can move into one level of care and then transition to a different level of care in the future if needed.
Just like there are sometimes waitlists for senior living in general, sometimes they also apply to current residents. For example, someone living in independent living may need to move to assisted living. But, assisted living at the community may have a waitlist. That waitlist can include a mixture of future and current residents. Current CCRC residents have an advantage though. Because they already live at the senior living community, they get to go to the top of the waitlist. This is one reason to consider moving before it’s needed.
Start Your Senior Living Journey Now
There are many reasons to start the senior living journey for you or a loved one now. Often, once someone moves to senior living, they wish they had moved sooner. It’s rare for someone to move and have buyer’s remorse. With things like housekeeping and maintenance included, moving to senior living can significantly reduce stress. Plus, with events, activities, like-minded neighbors, and on campus restaurants, most residents are more social and active than before they moved.
Reduced stress and increased socialization? That’s a recipe for a longer and fuller life. Plus, the earlier someone moves to senior living, the longer they can maintain more independence oftentimes. Less stress, more independence, and a longer and fuller life. What’s holding you back from starting your senior living journey now?
The Ohio Masonic Communities has 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 give us a call at 1 (877) 881-1623 or contact us here.