As our loved ones age and enter their golden years, one subject becomes increasingly important – their housing situation.  There are many housing options for older adults, but two of the main paths families choose are independent living and assisted living. It is essential to know the difference between the two so you and your […]

After working in the healthcare industry for more than 20 years, I get asked a lot about care providers and how to choose the right facility by friends, family members and patients. Unfortunately, unless you’ve been in this situation before, the selection process is overwhelming. The financial issues alone are very confusing, especially when dealing with Medicare […]

If you don’t work in the senior housing industry, it can be very confusing when trying to find an assisted living (AL) or other type of facility. The industry has evolved over the years, and there are tons of variations on senior living or assisted living concepts. This can make the search for housing especially […]

Life is full of transitions. From a child’s first day of school to the launching of a young adult’s career to an older adult’s retirement party, these planned transitions can be filled with anticipation and excitement. Life often delivers unexpected transitions, too.  A natural disaster, a medical emergency, the loss of a job; these situations […]

Suppose your loved one needs more assistance than can be provided in the home environment. Would assisted living best suit your loved one’s needs and personality? There are many choices in assisted living, and they come in large and small sizes. Large communities offer a wide array of activities and lots of other residents with whom […]

Life doesn’t slow down for anybody these days. More and more tasks will be added to your to-do list that all need to be done right away. To top it all off, your loved one has been moved to an assisted living home and you haven’t been able to make time to go and see him/her. […]

When the time comes where you’ve begun to notice some changes in your loved one’s ability to live on their own, it can be a very challenging process for you. A time like this brings up so many emotions for the both of you and having a successful transition can all depend on how you […]

If you have a strong religious preference and want to be around other seniors who share your faith, then you might look for a retirement community that is affiliated with or sponsored by your religious denomination:   Most communities welcome all faiths. As you might expect, retirement communities make more money by not limiting their residents […]

I get asked all the time if there are things that someone should watch for during their visits to senior housing facilities.  While some communities can hide poor management or bad staffing, it’s very likely that you’ll notice some signs if there are any.  Here are the top things to watch for during your visit: […]