Residential Home Care for Seniors
When considering residential home care, the key word is “appropriate.” Which setting is most appropriate for an individual’s needs and desires? The range of choices is wide.
Active, healthy seniors may be best served in independent living communities, while those with serious medical conditions requiring ongoing care and supervision may need a skilled nursing home.
There are approximately four major categories of residential home care, each designed to address the varying needs of seniors through the different stages of their lives.
Independent Living
Independent living residences are appropriate for self-reliant seniors who need little, if any, help with activities of daily living. Active seniors can trade in the trouble and expense of maintaining their own home for a smaller apartment in an independent living community.
They will pay a monthly fee that may include meals, laundry and activities such as yoga, movies or art classes. Fitness rooms, beauty salons and barber shops are often on site. Residents are free to come and go, though transportation may be provided to doctor’s offices, markets and libraries.
Costs vary depending on apartment size, meals and amenities. Some independent living communities require a substantial investment up front, while others do not.
Assisted Living
Assisted living facilities are well suited for seniors who are relatively healthy and independent but need some help with daily tasks. These residential homes offer many of the same cultural and social activities as independent living, but they also assist residents with:
- Bathing
- Dressing
- Taking medicines
- Cooking
- Laundry
Assisted living offers residents and their families the assurance of knowing that staff is always on site if needed. The average cost for assisted living residential home care is $35,000 a year.
Some residential homes provide both independent and assisted living at the same location. This allows couples to live in the same unit when one spouse is independent and the other needs assistance. Residential homes with both arrangements in the same location allow seniors to “age in place” as their physical or health needs change.
Memory Care
Memory care can be provided in residential homes when individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia cannot live independently or with their families. Families want to keep their loved one at home as long as possible, 
but they may need to find residential home care for the person’s own safety since as the disease progresses, the need for supervision increases.
While some residential homes specialize in memory care only, many assisted living communities provide special dementia care. Some studies indicate that 45 to 67% of assisted living residents have Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.
Having both assisted living and memory care in one location can provide continuity for people who move in with early stages of dementia but later require increased supervision and medical care. Another advantage of multi-level residential home care is that spouses can continue living within close proximity to each another even if their needs differ.
Nursing Homes
Nursing home care, also known as skilled nursing care, is appropriate when serious medical needs require ongoing care and monitoring by skilled providers in a fully-staffed facility.
In addition to high level medical care, nursing home residents also receive all the basics of daily living, such as meals, bathing and dressing. Many nursing homes also provide occupational, physical and speech therapy when appropriate to individual patients.
Nursing home care may be short- or long-term, depending on individual medical needs. A hospital stay of three or more days may send patients directly to a skilled nursing home if they aren’t well enough to go home. More seriously ill patients may require long-term care in a nursing home.
Short-term care is almost always covered by Medicare for those who are eligible for Medicare benefits. Long-term care can be very expensive and require other payment methods, such as long-term care insurance, retirement savings or other private sources. The average cost of skilled nursing residential home care is $200 a day, or $73,000 a year.
Find Residential Home Care
If you are looking for residential home care for yourself or a loved one, we can help! Our directory lists thousands of senior homes nationwide. Simply use our handy search box at the top of your screen or call us at 1-800-276-1202 to speak to a live care advisor.
Written by senior housing writer Martha Jablow.
