How do I determine what type of senior housing arrangement is best?
After familiarizing yourself with the types of residential care, it’s time to conduct a thorough inventory of the senior’s wants, needs and goals.  Some key issues to consider:

• Temporary versus long term care:  An older person may go to a nursing home for rehab following a surgery or stroke, then return home.  In other circumstances, a senior’s needs are better served by planning a move into a situation that is likely to remain the same for the many years to come.
• Independence: Can the senior live alone, and more importantly, does he/she want to?  Or would living in a more service-oriented environment be more nurturing?
• Privacy: Independence and assistance generally form a continuum: privacy decreases as the need for assistance increases. If the senior’s desire for privacy is paramount, independent living, assisted living, or a Continuing Care Retirement Community would all be preferable to a board & care home or a nursing home.
• Needs for personal care: How much and what kinds of personal or “custodial care” are needed or desired?  There are online needs assessment questionnaires to help determine this and then match the care needs with the right type of housing.
• Needs for medical care: If the senior has a chronic illness that necessitates special medical care, or ongoing services of medical professionals, independent living and even assisted living may not be suitable.
• Costs: Learn about the financial aspects of senior housing to determine what options are affordable for you.
  Walk through and evaluate several care facilities or senior communities that seem suitable.  Reviewing facility comparison checklists can help you determine which type of environment fits the senior resident’s requirements and preferences.
• Seek guidance from professionals who are experts in senior housing issues such as medical social workers, case managers or geriatric care managers.  They can help with all phases of this process: identifying goals and values, assessing needs, determining what is affordable, and suggesting appropriate facilities.

Please call today at 760-216-6103 or contact us to schedule a no-obligation walk thru of Silver Oak Country Estates.