What is the Difference Between Senior Living and Assisted Living?
Seniors are all unique, and so are their needs meriting that they require different degrees of care. However, finding the best senior living facility or community requires understanding all the options available and the key differences between them.
Elder care is considered to exist on a broad spectrum but on one end, you have independent living, a type of senior living that allows seniors the most independence. This is perfect for active seniors who want to enjoy communal living and activities but without the stress associated with chores and home maintenance.
On the other end of the spectrum, you have what’s called an assisted living community. These senior living communities offer around the same level of benefits associated with independent living but with the added benefit of it being more comprehensive. This means they provide seniors with additional assistance with daily tasks, such as bathing, dressing, and cooking meals.
This article will closely look at the different types of senior living such as assisted living in terms of services and amenities and what each consists of. The goal is to help you choose the right senior living community for you or your loved one.
Living in Independent Living Versus Assisted Living Communities – Which senior living option is best for you?
Independent living is generally small homes or apartments that offer everything a regular home would, including kitchens. However, assisted living offers more amenities, one of which is safety. That’s where understanding independent and assisted living is important.
Independent Living Housing Options
Independent living encompasses a range of housing solutions, from apartment-style communities to co-ops. Generally, residents have their own private spaces or apartments with common areas where they can gather and speak with other community members.
Independent senior living community will include:
- Senior apartments
- Active adult communities
- Retirement homes or communities
- 55+ communities
Now because the option is meant for seniors who want to live independently, the amenities and features are similar to those in a typical home.
Assisted Living Housing Options
Your standard assisted living apartment or home is a lot like an apartment. There are many types, like studios, one-bedroom units, and multiple bedrooms. The individual may have a kitchen, but even if they do, the appliances are often limited owing to safety concerns.
Rooms also have various safety and accessibility features like emergency call buttons and grab bars. In addition, some assisted living communities that have memory care units feature enhanced security, which includes supervision and surveillance at the main entrances.
Care and Services in Assisted Living and Independent Living Communities
A significant difference between independent living and assisted living communities is the level of supportive care and medical care.
Independent Living Communities
The goal of independent living facilities is to make lives easier for their residents, enabling them to live independently. The services are aimed at minimizing the daily responsibilities that seniors have to bear, but they don’t provide hands-on medical assistance and nursing care.
Housekeeping, landscaping, laundry, and dining facilities are usually offered onsite. However, this isn’t the same level of care or custodial care provided as we’ll see in assisted living communities.
Assisted Living Services
The goal of assisted living is to help or assist seniors with daily tasks like dressing, bathing, medication management, and laundry.
Staff members at an assisted living facility will usually include medical professionals. Usually, a certified nurse will be on-site. However, even assisted living facilities don’t provide intensive care or full-time skilled nursing care to adults who need it. That’s why these facilities may not be suited to seniors that need full-time medical monitoring.
Amenities Provided – Assisted Living Vs Independent Living
Assisted living and independent living communities both offer recreational opportunities and an opportunity to socialize. These are meant to meet the unique needs of residents. A few everyday activities include field trips, game nights, discussion groups, exercise classes, courses, etc. But independent living residents have a little more freedom with how they organize their daily living.
Both communities will also provide shuttle services for residents who want to visit the doctor, go on a grocery run, or run other errands.
Differences Between Assisted Living and Independent Living Design
Independent living communities are like traditional apartment buildings in their outward appearance or even small subdivisions with amenities throughout the large campus. However, assisted living tends to be more centralized, usually in a single building, with most amenities in residential spaces.
Cost of Living in Assisted Versus Independent Living
Today, both assisted and independent senior living are priced based on the rating system, and dwellers have the option to add amenities and services for an extra charge. While independent living is paid out of the renter’s pocket, there are a couple of financial assistance options that seniors can use as well. Still, they may only apply to assisted living in most cases.
Cost of Independent Living Community
The majority of a person’s expenses in this community will be rental and utilities. Older adults living in communities that offer this level of luxury and recreational opportunities like swim clubs and private golf courses are more expensive, taking the form of a membership-type structure with joining fees.
There are varying meal plans available for an additional cost, depending on the add-ons and service costs. Many providers will charge a single fee that covers everything, which makes managing expenses for seniors a lot easier.
Since residents don’t get medical services like long-term care, Medicare and Medicaid, along with other aid programs, will not pick up the bill. Seniors will instead need to pay either from pension income or from security benefits. Most pay for it from retirement savings and other personal funds.
Seniors that need specialized care will need to hire in-home care, which supplements what is provided by the community. But this may cost extra.
Assisted Living Pricing
Assisted living communities do offer more thus the base rate will include utilities, rent, and others like housekeeping. However, additional services will mean extra costs. A private one-bed in assisted living is roughly over $4k. But this base rate will vary depending on the location, amenities, and staff-to-residents ratio.
Since residents enjoy more assistance, these services are more expensive. Residents can choose to pay for most assisted living communities via personal funds, savings, or long-term care insurance policies.
Senior living includes many options for seniors based on their care level and needs. Assisted living is just one of the many types of Senior Living care that is offered.
