Assisted Living or Retirement Homes – The Choice is Yours

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Assisted Living or Retirement Homes – The Choice is Yours

While you creep into your senior years, the first thing that might cross your mind is to downsize and look for a few housing options. Not only would you need to cut down your living expenses, you will also need a place that can give you all the care, support, and safety that you need. Your choice then should be between an assisted living facility and a retirement home.

Assisted Living Facilities

Assisted living centers are often thought of as nursing homes by most adults who are stepping into their senior years. Nevertheless, there is a fundamental difference between an assisted living facility and a nursing home. Nursing homes are for those with chronic health conditions, who need medical care 24/7. Assisted living facilities on the other hand are intended for seniors who are unable to live on their own. They may not have any chronic health conditions that may need constant medical care; but they do need some bit of assistance in managing their daily living activities.

Assisted living facility can provide you your own living space, while offering you some help with helping you manage basic tasks and functions, administering your medications, and taking you for your doctor’s visits. Most assisted living communities have full-time medical personnel on board. The staff members that work in such places would have received some amount of basic medical and first-aid training. By providing access to emergency medical care, such a facility can give your loved ones, the much needed peace of mind that you are getting the care that you need.

Retirement Homes

There are many seniors who can live independently; but don’t have the financial resources to do so. Such people can find retirement homes for older adults, convenient. Retirement homes are independent living communities that offer living accommodation for seniors at much lower rentals. Moreover seniors may also find many social opportunities to lead a fulfilling life.

Retirement homes are fully equipped apartments or homes that are suitable for independent older adults who have minor or no medical problems. You should have excellent mobility if you want to live in a retirement home. It is an active community where you can attend events, enjoy entertainment and go on social outings with like-minded people of your age. Also you can stay away from worrying about caring for the grounds, making necessary home repairs, and shoveling snow during winter.

To make it easier for seniors to live a comfortable, easy-going life, many retirement homes offer facilities such as cleaning and maintenance, meals, and security. However, you have the option of choosing the services you want depending upon your needs and budget.

There are a few things you need to ask yourself before making the decision between an assisted living and a retirement home:

Do you feel safe and confident enough to live on your own?

Are you able to perform all your daily activities and manage all your basic tasks, by yourself?

Will you be able to handle things during emergencies?

If you answered any of the above questions with a ‘No,’ you may want to consider assisted living as a housing option. Else you can comfortably live in a retirement home. Whatever be your choice, don’t forget to check out a few options and run a comparison of the cost and the facilities, before finalizing.

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