Dorothy’s words rang true as she clicked her sparkling red shoes together in the beloved movie, The Wizard of Oz. There’s NoPlace Like Home…. but can seniors truly feel at home once they make a move into a senior living community?
For over 6 years, I’ve specialized in the Senior Care Industry in Phoenix, Arizona and the valley, including working in Independent and Assisted Living communities as well as Memory Care. I have worked case managing seniors who need assistance with care, and also for a private-duty home care company. Home care is an option, but it’s not covered under Medicare, so many seniors can’t afford fees averaging an hourly rate in the mid twenties.
So do assisted living communities feel like home to senior residents? Many people would say “Yes!”
Most ‘nursing home’ environments, with stark white walls and a hospital-like atmosphere are a thing of the past. Thank Goodness!
I recall visiting my grandma back in the ‘90s. She was in a nursing home in small-town Iowa. The staff couldn’t have been more pleasant, but the day I visited, hot dogs and beans were on the menu. The facility had a ‘hospital-like feel’. Grandma said she knew where her ‘pocketbook’ was, and she was going to get her keys and drive home! I didn’t blame her, and was sick with guilt when I left, and I know my mom and aunt felt the same way.
You won’t find that stark and cold atmosphere in most communities or group homes today, and here’s why. With the number of Baby Boomers now estimated at over 73 million, senior living is big business! That means they are trying hard to keep seniors as happy and healthy as possible, adding peace of mind for family members as a large benefit.
Communities operate much like apartments, with the added benefit of a 24-7 Wellness Staff, that includes Nurses providing care and also with Activities Directors keeping seniors active by scheduling live music, happy hour and even magicians! Last Christmas, I walked into a grand lobby of a community, that had soaring ceilings and an extravagant feel. My client and her adult daughter stopped in their tracks as we entered to find residents gathered on the couches, as a cowboy on a magnificent white horse, read Christmas stories in the style of a ‘Cowboy Christmas’!
Competition is fierce with new housing for seniors that are popping up everywhere, and they try to provide better food, more unique activities, an elegant and home-like look, and often incentives galore to get seniors and their families to pick their community over the others.
Senior living is all about choices. From the number of bedrooms in the apartment to the meal plan, which often including specialized menus for those with health restrictions- senior living can be a fabulous solution when physical or cognitive conditions make it impossible to stay safe at home.
Families are often encouraged to join in for meals or activities, but current Covid-19 restrictions have that option on hold in most communities at this time. One of the benefits of hiring a free Senior Placement Specialist like myself is that I ask each community the details of Covid protocol and restrictions. There is a large variation to those answers, so hiring a free senior placement specialist is invaluable as they will make calls and ask those questions so the family can get all the information they need to see what communities are the best fit. Since communities pay senior placement agents directly, the service is free. It’s important to contact a local specialist and not a nationally known number- so you can meet directly with them, and they can offer to accompany you and even drive seniors and their families to communities, often negotiating costs and terms.
One of the most fulfilling things about my job often takes place a few months after I’ve helped a senior move to a community. My work making calls, setting up tours, accompanying seniors and their families as we visit, and negotiating price pays off when I hear from family members that they are so relieved and that mom or dad seems happy to call their new community home!