Finding The Senior Living Option That's Right For You

One might feel overwhelmed by the breadth of senior living options available today. Here are some questions to ask yourself to help guide you to the right choice in senior housing.

Do you need assisted living, or can you live independently?

Determining how much physical help you need to live daily is the first thing to consider. Are you active and independent? Or, do you need assistance with some daily activities like managing medication, bathing, or dressing? Are there any health and mobility concerns you are facing? If you need assistance, do you need medical or non-medical care?

These questions help determine if you're better suited for independent living, or if you need to live in an assisted living situation, including but not limited to a nursing home.

What senior housing can you afford?

Another factor to help you narrow down your choices is to look at what you can afford. Work with a financial advisor to look at what it costs to live in your current home as well as your financial resources and assets to come up with a proper budget. Would you prefer to have all your utilities, housekeeping, maintenance bills rolled up into one monthly bill? Would you prefer to rent or own your home? It's important to ask these questions, because they can help you identify what senior living options work best with your budget.

How important is aging in place to you?

Some seniors, knowing they may need increasing levels of care and supervision as they age, do not want to move from one community to another. Do you want a community that can let you age in place? Are you able to count on your family to provide the caregiving you may need in your own home? Do you need one type of senior living but your spouse requires another? Many senior living options offer the means to age in place, but you should take your needs in consideration.

What do you want out of your daily life?

Some seniors want an active social life with fellow seniors while others prefer not to have any structure to their lives. Do you feel isolated and would like to have a sense of community? Or, would you rather stay in your own home and be part of a neighborhood community of all ages?

Where do you want to live?

Some seniors prefer to live near one or more of their children and grandchildren while others are focused on their lifestyle. What kind of lifestyle do you want? What parts of the country would you like to spend your retirement years? Location is an important factor to senior living, especially if you wish to age in place.

Kithward can help you search and discover different senior living options as you begin your research. You can search by level of care, price, lifestyle, and region. You can browse communities, look at photos, activity calendars, and floorplans. Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, go visit these communities. Take a tour and talk to current residents and get a feel for the culture and lifestyle to determine if it is a good fit for you.