Where Do You Find Assisted Living Advice for Your Loved One?
You know the problem. You or someone you know and love is struggling to care for himself or herself at home. This is usually a family issue with no easy answers.
You can start asking your circle of friends about how they are caring for their aging parents.
Or you can start searching the internet for an Assisted Living community nearby that provides an appropriate level of care, yet is still affordable.
But to save you hours of searching, SeniorAdvice.com may have the answers to most of your needs.
Assisted Living Across The U.S.
Does your Mom live in Scottsdale, AZ, while you are situated in Chicago, IL? Is your favorite aunt in San Jose, CA, but you’re 3,000 miles away in Tampa, FL? Senior Advice provides listings for “Top Cities for Assisted Living in the US” across 30 cities in more than 15 states.
Each link provides an overview of that city’s listings, complete with:
- The approximate number of assisting living facilities
- The cost per month according to a cost-of-care survey and how it compares to the national average
- The number of golf courses nearby
- Live arts performances
- The “senior score” vs. the national average.
- And, most importantly, a way to request pricing and availability in your chosen city.
Assisted Living Means Assistance With The “Activities of Daily Living” (ADLs)
Most seniors need some level of assistance.. In almost all cases, the needs for assistance progressively increase over time.
In order to qualify for assisted living, you must be assessed and found to require help with at least two of the six basic ADLs.
For example, both of my parents developed dementia which led to them needing help with bathing, washing their hair, housekeeping, and food preparation. Between the ages of 98 and 102 when she passed, my Mom needed help picking out her clothes, getting dressed, and tying her shoes, as well as figuring out the TV remote, using her speed dial landline, and downloading recipes off her computer.
Other folks often forget to take their pills, so that’s referred to as “medication management” to parcel out their prescriptions and supplements so they can ingest them when necessary.
There Are Actually Two Levels of Activities
These assistance activities can be classified into two levels: basic ADLs (BADLS) and the more complex Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs).
Basic ADLs include these categories—and you should honestly ask yourself if your loved one needs assistance with any of these activities:
- Ambulating – An individual’s ability to move from one position to another and to walk independently.
- Continence – The ability to control one’s bladder and bowel functions.
- Dressing – The ability to select appropriate clothing and put that clothing on.
- Feeding – The ability to feed oneself.
- Personal hygiene – The ability to bathe and groom oneself, as well as maintaining dental hygiene, nail, and hair care.
- Toileting – The ability to get to and from the toilet, using it appropriately, and cleaning oneself.
These Instrumental ADLs require more complex thinking and organizational skills for a senior:
- Housecleaning and home maintenance – The ability to cleaning kitchens after eating, maintain reasonably clean living areas, and keep up with home maintenance.
- Managing finances – Can your loved one pay bills, balance a checkbook, and manage his or her investments?
- Managing communication with others – The ability to manage telephone, mail, and / or email.
- Managing medications – The ability to obtain medications and take them as directed; as mentioned above, this is a key activity of concern for most of our parents.
- Shopping and meal preparation – The ability to shop for food, clothing, and any other items required for their daily life, as well as the ability to get a meal on the table.
- Transportation and shopping – Ability to attend events and manage transportation, by driving or by organizing other rides.
How Your Loved One Can Pay for Assisted Living
Senior Advice also offers something that we haven’t seen elsewhere: the financial details of managing a move into assisted living. These typically include long-term care insurance, if you or your family were smart enough to purchase a policy, as well as Medicaid, Medicare, Veterans Aid, a reverse mortgage on their home, or private pay.
What SGD Does For Assisted Living and Memory Care Communities
At SGD Advertising, we help senior living communities market themselves to families who need assisted living and memory care for their loved ones. We recommend activities and programs for their residents to stay healthy, as we offer advice on how the communities can stay financially sound.
For more information about Senior Living advice, plus Assisted Living FAQs, visit SeniorAdvice.com.
SGD is a San Francisco Bay Area advertising, marketing and branding agency specializing in the senior and boomer markets. We’ve successfully positioned, branded and rebranded companies that market to seniors, weaving traditional and online tactics to create compelling stories that drive response.
About the Author Gil Zeimer is a Partner at SGD Advertising.