Tag: assisted living

The Difference Between Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities in Boca Raton

One question that is often asked when people are exploring elder care option is, “What’s the difference between a nursing home and an assisted living facility?” The truth is there is a huge difference, and it’s a good idea to educate yourself on those differences before making a decision on which elder care option is right for you or a loved one.

The biggest difference between these two options is the level of care. Most assisted living facilities require that the senior be able to mostly take care of themselves. They may need some assistance with mobility, daily chores, or help with their medication, but, by and large, they can take care of themselves. Nursing homes are for seniors who are unable to care for themselves. They might need help with personal care or require extensive medical intervention.

Which option you choose will depend on how much help you or your loved one require during the day, or are likely to require in the immediate future. If you aren’t sure, working with a professional placement agency such as Senior Living Placement can help you make an informed decision that’s good for all parties involved.

You can learn more about nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Boca Raton on our website. If you’d like to take advantage of our free placement services, you can call our team at 800-652-0468 or contact us through our website today. We’d be happy to help you find either nursing homes or assisted living facilities for you or your loved one in Florida.

Activities Offered by Assisted Living Facilities in the Boca Raton Area

One of the things that draw many seniors to independent living facilities in the Boca Raton area is the plethora of activities that are offered. While activity options will vary from facility to facility, there is always something interesting going on. Plus, you can choose your level of participation. Maybe you want to get involved in a variety of activities and clubs, or perhaps you’d be happier attending just one or two events a month. How much and how often you participate is completely up to you, but these activities are a great way to stay active and meet new friends in your later years.

Take a look at some of the activities commonly found at independent living facilities:

  • Cultural excursions. It might be a local art gallery, to a dance concert, or out for a night at the symphony. Cultural excursions are a great way to broaden your appreciation for the arts, learn something new, and meet other seniors with similar interests.
  • Classes and workshops. Want to learn how to use Facebook? Teach others to crochet? Or sharpen your writing skills? Classes and workshops are popular events at independent living facilities, and they are often free to residents. Learning new skills or teaching others is a wonderful way to keep the mind sharp as you age.
  • Fitness classes. Want to keep the weight off or get some more doctor-recommended cardio exercise? Your assisted living facility probably offers a class to meet your needs. These classes are terrific because they are tailored to the needs of seniors and give you a chance to workout in a fun, safe environment.
  • Intergenerational programs. More and more assisted living facilities are seeing the benefits of bringing children into the facility, either by providing activities led by seniors for children or by sponsoring Scout troops or other clubs. This is especially great for seniors who may not have a lot of family nearby.
  • Clubs. Join the book club to discuss the latest bestsellers, the gardening club to keep the grounds looking their best, or a dinner club to show off your cooking skills. There are plenty of privately led clubs at independent living facilities, and if you can’t find one that you like you can always start one yourself!

While many places still offer the classic Bingo night, it’s likely to be on the schedule with Karaoke and Swing Dancing nights as well. Independent living facilities are vibrant, active places where residents can plug into a group that suits their needs and gives them plenty to do. If you think moving into an independent living facility is the end of your fun and independence, just visit one of these facilities and see how happy, active, and engaged the local residents are. You might change your mind about these facilities and decide they are right for you!

If you would like to learn more about independent living facilities in the Boca Raton area, give us a call at 800-652-0468. We can match you with facilities in your area that you might enjoy. We even provide placement assistance for free!

Why an Independent Senior Living Facility Can be Better Than Home

Many seniors feel that aging in place is the best option for them. This allows them to stay in their home, in a place that is comfortable and familiar to them. For some seniors, this may actually be the best option, but it might not be right for everyone. Another option that many seniors in Florida are choosing is moving to an independent senior living facility. These facilities offer fully-equipped private apartments where seniors are free to come and go as they choose, keeping the same lifestyle that they enjoyed at home. So what makes this option a better one than aging in place at home?

  • It’s social. One of the biggest challenges that many seniors face is loneliness. Their family members are busy with activities of their own, their friends may have passed away or they may be unable to visit as often, and they may find it difficult to meet new friends. This issue is largely eliminated at an independent senior living facility. These facilities often arrange social outings and events that encourage friendships, and your loved one will be surrounded by people their age who are able to get out and enjoy activities with them.
  • Help is there when they need it. Seniors who move into an independent living facility are largely unaffected by medical issues. However, as they get older this may change. Many of these facilities offer services on an as needed basis, giving your loved one the care that they need when they need it. They may have assisted living facilities on site, as well, which can make the transition to a managed-care environment easier in the future.
  • Many services are included. One of the nicest benefits of independent living communities are the benefits that are included. Services will vary from facility to facility, so you’ll need to do your research. However, many facilities offer services such as meal plans, transportation to shopping or doctor’s appointments, activity nights, outings, and more. This is a great way to take some of the burden off of your loved one (and yourself) while they remain independent.

There are hundreds of senior independent living communities in Florida and each one is a little bit different. When you begin researching these facilities, you’ll want to gather information such as how much the monthly cost will be (including all fees), what services are included, and the amenities available on-site. You’ll also want to tour the apartments to make sure they are suitable to your loved one.

Finding the right senior living option for yourself or a loved one is a big job. There are so many facilities to choose from and you’ll want to find one that has a great reputation and offers the best options. Senior Living Placement knows which facilities offer the best options! Give us a call today at 800-652-0468 and speak with one of our placement experts. Our service is free to you and can help make the transition much easier for everyone involved. We’ll show you some of the best independent living facilities available with the amenities that you want within your budget!

Assisted Living Touring Tips Part 5

Over the last several weeks, we have talked about some of the most important things that you should look into when it comes to deciding on an assisted living facility to take your loved one too. Today, we have a couple of more things to keep in mind when you pay the facility a visit with Senior Living Placement.

Move outs

Before you move in, make sure you know as much as possible about their move out criteria. Find out what circumstances would have to come about before they asked a resident to move out. You also should ask about the move out policies they have. Does your loved one or their caregiver have to give any kind of notice before they can move out? Most residences have a 30-day policy but you don’t want to have find out the hard way that your assisted living community is different

Trust your gut

The most important thing to keep in mind while you are touring assisted living facilities is that this is not for you. This is for someone that you love and care about and you need to do what is best for them and not yourself. Can you see your loved one being happy in a particular facility? Are the staff and other residents open and inviting to new people? If you don’t get a good vibe from the community, then you should trust your instincts. There is probably something off about the facility that you cannot pinpoint.

There you have it. That is all that we have in the way of tips for when you go touring assisted living facilities. Make sure that you write all of your questions down to take with you so that you don’t forget. We hope to hear from you soon to schedule an appointment to take a tour.

Visiting Assisted Living Facilities Part 4

In the last few blogs, we talked a lot about some of the questions you need to ask when you are visiting a potential assisted living facility and what you should take a careful look at while you are there. We believe that the tips will be very helpful for anyone who is trying to decide what facility is best for their loved one. We want to help everyone we can so we have even more tips to use the next time you go on a tour. And remember, Senior Living Placement can help you by visiting the assisted living facility with you.

Personal Care

Personal care should be very important to the assisted living facility you choose and its staff. Do they have a regular bathing schedule for those residents who cannot bathe themselves? Is their hair, nails and beards taken care of as well or will they need to go see a hairdresser occasionally? You want to know if your loved one will be treated with dignity and respect while they are living there. One of the best ways to find out if the staff is respectful is to observe and talk with the other residents.

Feedback

Speaking of talking to the residents; if you want to know the truth about the facility, ask its residents. They will tell you how their life is living at the facility and how they are treated. They can tell you what they like and what they don’t like, how the staff treats them and even how often their loved ones come to visit. You can even go online and find reviews of the assisted living facility to see candid reactions.

We have just a few more tips to take into consideration when you are deciding on what assisted living facility to place your loved one in. Check back next week!

More Tips When Touring Assisted Living Facilities

Many people don’t know what questions to ask while they are visiting assisted living facilities. Even if you are touring a facility with a professional from Senior Living Placement, some important questions might get missed. In our last blog, we talked about some of the important questions to ask when you go to your top choices but there are so many that we thought that we would give you some more tips for when you are visiting an assisted living facility.

Staff

When you are at the assisted living facility, you will want to pay attention to the staff. Notice how attentive they are being to the residents as well as how friendly they are.  Staff attitude is a good indicator whether they enjoy their jobs or not. You can also tell if they are nice to the residents with how they interact with them. It is also a good idea to become friendly with the management team so that they can explain company goals and policies.

Outdoors

When you are touring an assisted living facility it is important to take a tour of the grounds as well. You will want to make sure that the area is safe enough for your loved one to go outside and enjoy themselves. Are there activities that the residents can do outside on nice days? Not everyone likes to be inside all of the time. If your loved one is healthy enough for outdoor activities, there is no reason why they shouldn’t be able to.

We are nowhere near being done with giving you tips on what to look for when you are touring your local assisted living facility with Senior Living Placement. Be sure to check out future blogs!

Assisted Living Tips When Touring

Making the decision to place your loved one in an assisted living facility can be a really hard choice. Then you need to make the time to go visit the ones that you like the most. At Senior Living Placement, we have the tools to help you narrow down all of your choices and we will even accompany you on the visits to make sure that all of your loved one’s needs will be met. But we thought that we would talk to you about some of the tips that you may need when we are out touring the assisted living facility.

Cleanliness

We know that you would never leave your loved one in an assisted living community if they were not clean. And we are not talking about whether or not there are holes in the couch or if the crumbs are mopped up. Does the air smell clean? If it smells moldy or unsanitary it could mean that they just cleaned up for your visit and it’s not a very regular thing. Ask how often housekeeping is provided to the residents and if they provide any laundry services.

Activities

If you schedule your visit at an assisted living facility during an activity, you will be able to get a feel for how they are run. Are many residents attending? Is it a positive atmosphere? Make sure that your loved one will feel accepted and will have fun during the activities. It is good to take note on how the employees are interacting as well. If it is clear that their heart is not in it, the residents won’t be having any fun either.

We have many more suggestions to look for if you are considering going on tours of local assisted living facilities. We are happy to come along and make sure all of your concerns are addressed. Call Senior Living Placement today.

The Future Of Assisted Living

Recently, we read an article about seniors that said in 2010, there were 7.2 potential caregivers for every senior over the age of 80 in the U.S. However, this number will drop dramatically by 2030 to 4.1 to every senior. This got us thinking; what will assisted living and other senior care facilities be like in the next 15, 20, 50 years?

Population

It is said that the population is expected to grow 42 percent from 2010 to 2050 but the population of those who are older than 85 is expected to grow 328 percent in that amount of time, from 5.2 million to 19 million. This makes sense if you take into account the aging Baby Boomers and the life expectancy continuing to grow.

Dependency

As we stated before, the number of caregivers will decrease as the senior population increases. Most people in the country believe that they can rely on family to help them when that time comes but the truth is, many children will not be able to care for their aging parents.

Social Security

In 2012, 61.9 million people received benefits from Social Security. Most of us have heard about Social Security becoming almost non-existent in the coming years. According to USAToday, the numbers show that the Social Security trust fund will run out in the year 2033. But that give us nearly 20 years to improve the system.

In the next 35 years, we as a nation will need to build more senior living facilities, and work on changing Social Security to help pay for these facilities so that our loved ones can be safe and happy. To find the best assisted living facility near you, call Senior Living Placement today.

More Reasons Your Loved One Will Love Living In Assisted Living

In our last blog, we talked about some of the reasons seniors love living in an assisted living facility. They are able to be independant and still be looked after in a non-intrusive way. As their loved ones, there is no reason that we should feel guilty. When placed in the right senior living community, they could be having the best time of their lives because they are no longer having to worry about what to eat or who will drive them places. In this blog, we want to discuss more reasons why seniors love living in retirement homes.

Driving

As we get older, our vision tends to worsen. Night driving becomes especially dangerous because of this. The glare coming off the lights can cause us to not see things while we are driving. When seniors are at a senior care facility, they are able to enlist the driving services of that facility. They can be driven to doctors appointments and to the grocery store. They do not have to feel like a burden to their loved ones.

Friends

Like we stated in the previous blog, senior living communities allow seniors to enjoy activities and with that, new friendships form. They can meet and make lasting friendships living in a community of like-minded people. When you have constant contact with others, you are bound to become friends with them.

Feeling safe

Sure, living at home offers locked doors and a phone to call 911, but when they live in an assisted living facility, they have emergency response systems and security in place that allows its residents to get the peace of mind that they wouldn’t get if they stayed in their own home.

We hope that by hearing about some of the great benefits to living in a senior care center, you will stop feeling guilty and start to see this as a great opportunity. Call Senior Living Placement today to see what facility would be good for your loved one.