Residential Living Options for a Senior Woman
If you are an adult child or a woman in her Golden Years, you may have started some discussions with her about possible changing where she lives. You mother may have been living independently on her own since your father passed away. You may think that there might be some benefits to be derived from exploring what other residential living option may exist for your mom at this time of her life.
Some of the options available to your mom when it comes to residential living options at this juncture in time include:
- Aging in place
- 55+ retirement communities
- Assisted living
- Respite care centers
- Nursing homes
- Memory care facilities
Aging in Place
Aging in place is a residential living option for older women which involves remaining in their current residences. They may need some additional assistance in tending to some matters of day-to-day living. These might include meal preparation assistance, house cleaning, dressing, and other types of essential day-to-day necessities. This type of assistance can be provided in an aging in place or at-home setting through the help of a homecare aide.
55+ Retirement Communities
Across the country, there are retirement communities designed specifically for women and men who are over the age of 55. These communities are not unlike those geared towards a wider swath of the population age-wise. However, and as the moniker indicates, these communities are designed for people over a specific age. They do not provide assisted living services. However, a homecare aide can visit a resident to provide some basic assistance with different tasks associated with daily living.
Assisted Living
Assisted living facilities are housing options that provide help or support with activities of daily living or what sometimes are referred to as instrumental activities of daily living.
These include such tasks as:
- Cooking
- Cleaning
- Bathing
- Dressing
- And similar tasks
Assisted living centers or facilities are not designed to provide medical assistance or support to their residents. There may be some basic assistance in medication management (meaning to ensure daily meds are taken by a resident).
What is available from one assisted living facility to another can vary significantly. Examples of what most often is provided at an assisted living facility include:
- Meals
- Housekeeping
- Laundry
- Recreational and exercise activities
- Transportation to doctor’s appointments, shopping, and so forth
Respite Care Centers
Respite care centers come in a variety of forms. Overall however, these facilities are designed to provide a safe living environment for people in need of assisted living support for a shorter period of time.
For example, a respite care center might be ideal for a person who is recuperating from surgery and no longer needs to be in the hospital, does not need to spend time in a rehabilitation center, and yet is not quite ready to return home. A respite care center can also be a solid resource for families who are the primary caretakers of an older relative. These family members can use a respite care center to provide safe living accommodations from their older relative while these families take a deserved break from providing care and support.
Nursing Homes
Nursing homes are defined as:
Senior living facilities that offer a high level of medical care. Like assisted living facilities, nursing homes have numerous amenities and help with basic activities. However, they also provide medication management and 24-hour supervision, leading to a more clinical environment.
People in need of long-term medical assistance should consider what is available in the way of nursing homes. There is a wide variety of different types of nursing homes available to older people today, including homes with different types of amenities.
Memory Care Facilities
Memory care facilities oftentimes are a part of a nursing home or an assisted living community. Memory care centers are designed specifically to provide for the needs of people with dementia, Alzheimer’s, or some other memory related issue.
As a matter of routine, memory care facilities usually have a larger staff that offers more supervision and support to residents. These centers also include security features to prevent residents from wandering outside unsupervised, which can be a major issue for a person with some sort of memory issue.
Anyone with dementia is a candidate for a memory care facility. The same holds true for individuals who may have other types of persistent memory issues that negatively impact their ability to safely live independently.
Memory care centers typically have specialized features that include:
- Unique, customized security features to keep residents safe
- Design features to make those who suffer from dementia feel more at ease
- Staff in memory care units may be specially trained to care for people with dementia
Through a bit of research, an ideal residential living option can be found for a senior woman. These include options that specifically provide for her needs without imposing an unnecessary level of restrictions on her life.