Aging in Place vs. Assisted Living

Aging in place and assisted living are both great options for seniors. There are many things you must consider before moving forward with either choice. Considerations include: cost, privacy, community, safety and most of all what you or the senior in your life wants. Today we will review some of the pros and cons of both options.

Aging in Place

What is aging in place? Aging in place is the decision to continue living at home or downsizing to a smaller home/apartment. Many seniors are inclined to go with this option. You can see this from aginginplace.org which states that 90% of seniors intend to remain in their current homes. Familiarity with a home and being around the same community is very important to seniors. Being able to continue to go to their favorite shops and be close to family is noted as a major reason to stay at home. Also, nearly one in four seniors feel they cannot move either because they cannot afford moving costs or because they do not believe they could sell their home.

Despite so many benefits, aging in place can become socially isolating if it is too difficult to leave the home. Staying in the home also comes at a price: costly modifications can quickly add up, depending on one's individual circumstances and needs.

In order to stay at home many of these seniors would need to make minor or significant home modifications to do so. Home modifications can be expensive costing anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 depending on the current state of the home or needs of the individual. 

Safety is at the top of mind when working with seniors aging in place. If their home is not safe they are at significant risk. However, if they truly desire to stay at home that's where assistance might come in. Whether it’s the many new at home safety gadgets like emergency response systems or a grab bar installation, these small changes can make significant impacts and increase an individual's safety and overall confidence within the home. However, making modifications in the home only extends to the home and not the surrounding area around it with sidewalks and roads. If these aren’t properly maintained this could still provide a risk.

Rosarium Health connects individuals with contractors for home modifications and the occupational therapists needed to make modification recommendations, always prioritizing one's safety within the home.

Assisted Living

There are many options for assisted living. Some of them included independent living where senior communities who need minimal assistance live or more intensive care like memory care homes for individuals with dementia. Senior living in general aims to enhance the quality of life through physical activities and social activities. They also provide health services with on-site caregivers. Most senior living facilities also manage all the housekeeping and security you would need to get assistance with in a home. There’s no need for part time health aids or service workers to come to the home to provide them security, meals or other amenities. 

Many seniors make the difficult decision to move if the home they have been residing in is no longer safe. For example, seniors are far more likely to be the target of scams or fraud. 

While at first glance this can look like a perfect option to many individuals, senior living costs are on the rise. The median cost for assisted living is $3,500 a month (source). For nursing home care you can see a median monthly cost of $6,448. Many seniors can experience difficulty being separated from their home and community. Privacy also can become an issue for many seniors as the constant care can mean they are often surrounded by people with little to no privacy.

Assisted living facilities have also reported at least 20% of residents can experience regular verbal abuse. While this is reported less than nursing homes it is still a problem that should be considered when looking into the assisted living facilities.

Conclusion

These decisions are difficult ones whether you’re looking into this for a family member or for yourself. The most important elements of these difficult decisions are the current and future desires of the individual, as well as the individual's safety. If you’ve already made the decision to stay at home Rosarium Health is here to help. Be sure to check out our website and apply so we can help get you started.