Assisted Living Locators

Your parents spent considerable time, energy, and resources looking after you as you grew up. Now, as seniors, they may need some extra help and looking after too. Depending on your circumstances, it may make sense to place them in an assisted living facility. A Life For Seniors can help! Our assisted living locators will find you the facility that’s right for your needs and budget!

COVID-19 Updates

The most pressing question people have when contemplating assisted living centers these days is about what the center is doing to combat COVID-19. The state of Utah has prioritized vaccination for assisted living residents and healthcare workers to help slow the spread and reduce infection risk. Beyond this, policies differ from facility to facility. Before touring a facility, call ahead and check their website to find out what their COVID-19 policies are. When you visit, compare what they post about their policies to what they actually do in practice.

Is It Time to Look at Assisted Living?

It can be challenging to decide when the time is right to look into assisted living for your senior parents. Each person and family’s specific situation is unique. Still, there are some overall things to look for that can indicate that it’s time.

Assisted living is great for people who need help with what is known as daily living activities (ADLs). Such activities include getting dressed, personal and oral hygiene practices, preparing and eating meals, laundry, cleaning, taking medications, managing bills, and driving. If your loved one needs assistance with these tasks, and if you or other members of their support system are struggling to provide that assistance, it may be time to look into an assisted living center. Our assisted living locators can help!

Reasons To Consider Assisted Living

Assisted living provides seniors with the extra care and assistance they need as they age. Happy, safe senior living is easiest to achieve when the living space is designed with accessibility in mind. Beyond that, senior parents need to have the chance to interact with others, make friends, and build relationships. Since the majority of the assisted living population are seniors, your parents will have a chance to do just that with people who are their peers. As a bonus, you won’t need to worry about them handling yard care or snow removal on their own since the facility handles all of that.

How to Pay For Assisted Living

One of the primary concerns about moving your senior parents into assisted living is how to pay for it. Most people use long-term care insurance to pay for assisted living or pay out of pocket. If you want to rely on long-term care insurance, it’s vital for you and your parents to plan for that years in advance. Coverage is ideally purchased before the senior years, while the policyholder is still in good health. Some pre-existing conditions may cause insurance companies to be unwilling to offer coverage. Alternatively, you can use private means to pay for assisted living. Considering that a year’s worth of senior assisted living care costs anywhere from $30,000-$70,000, that can be a pretty hefty price to pay. Some people opt to use a reverse mortgage, an annuity, the sale of a home, or retirement investments to pay for assisted living.

What’s the Difference between Assisted Living and Nursing Homes?

It’s not uncommon for the terms “assisted living” and “nursing home” to be used interchangeably. While there are some similarities, there are also distinct differences in the level of care offered. Assisted living facilities are generally for seniors who need assistance with daily living activities (ADLs). However, they are still mostly mobile and open to being helped. Medical care is often provided by a registered nurse who works at the facility. On the other hand, nursing homes have a greater focus on medical care and offer a higher level of care for those who need more intensive assistance.

What Should I Bring When Moving a Parent to Assisted Living?

Once you and your parents have decided to make the transition to assisted living and have chosen a facility, it’s time to figure out what to bring. It’s essential to keep the space your parents have in mind when selecting things to bring. A bed and dresser are usually fine, but generally, it’s not a good idea to bring large pieces of furniture. Feel free to bring decor and entertainment items, though. Your senior parents will also need clothing and toiletries. Roughly half of assisted living centers will allow seniors to bring a pet, and most will have space for them to park a car if it’s still safe for them to drive. For safety’s sake, leave behind anything that can cause slips, trips, or falls.

Is Assisted Living Tax Deductible?

With the expense associated with assisted living, it’s understandable to wonder if it can be tax-deductible. The answer is sometimes yes. You can deduct medical expenses if they exceed income by 10%. To qualify, the person in assisted living will need to be chronically ill. That means they cannot perform two or more ADLs or need supervision due to cognitive impairment. They will also need to be receiving care from a licensed medical professional with a specified care plan. It may be possible to deduct insurance premiums from taxes as well.