Senior living choices can seem vast, nuanced, and even overwhelming. We’re mapping the landscape of senior living options — including the benefits, challenges, and unique features — so you can make informed decisions that align with your needs, preferences, and goals.
Understanding Aging in Place
The phrase “aging in place” refers to an older adult living independently in their own home as they age, enjoying familiar surroundings during their later years. Aging in place is a popular goal, with 93 percent of people 55 and older aspiring to achieve it. When you look to the future and consider living options and the kinds of care you or your loved one may need, comparing the pros and cons can help you decide on the ideal choice.
Aging in Place at Home
If you wish to age in place at home, you can plan ahead to help you stay independent for as long as possible.
Benefits and Challenges of Aging in Place at Home
Aging in place in your home provides the benefits of a comfortable and familiar environment, surrounded by family members, friendly neighbors, and community resources. If your current health challenges and care needs are low, then this can be a cost-effective choice.
However, aging in place can also present challenges if your health and care needs change. Older adults who live alone are at risk of social isolation, which can increase the chances of health problems such as heart disease, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, and more. Additionally, finding reliable help with regular tasks such as meal preparation, housekeeping, transportation, and activities of daily living (ADLs) requires a proactive approach.
Over time, your residence may require safety modifications, such as installing grab bars in the bathroom, widening doors to accommodate a wheelchair, and swapping door handles for ADA-compliant options. Depending on how extensive the remodeling requirements are, these modifications can be costly.
Resources for Aging in Place
As you age, you can take steps to maintain and enhance your independence. A variety of options for senior living care at home are available, including:
- Specialized well-being programs: Local organizations may provide membership programs designed to help you stay healthy and independent as you age, such as WellAhead — A WesleyLife Well-Being Experience. WellAhead includes a wellness center membership, personal training, massage therapy, light housekeeping, fresh meal delivery, and more.
- In-home services: Need an extra pair of hands around the house? In-home services include non-medical help with daily tasks such as shopping, laundry, meal preparation, transportation, medication reminders, and more.
- Home healthcare: Trained professionals can provide medical care in your residence, including physical therapy, infusion therapy, medication management, post-surgical rehabilitation, and more.
- Meal delivery: Meals on Wheels delivers prepared dishes and meaningful human connection to older adults and military veterans of all ages.
- Adult Day services: Adult Day provides a safe, welcoming group environment for older adults who need companionship and care during the daytime — an ideal option for families with a primary caregiver who works.
- Respite care: Provided by family, friends, or a trained professional, respite care gives a primary caregiver short-term relief from their responsibilities and the opportunity to take care of themselves by traveling, resting, or spending time with loved ones.
Home-Sharing and Senior Cohousing
If you currently live alone but would like to age in place, consider home-sharing. This involves renting out a room to a younger adult who agrees to help around the house in exchange for reduced rent or finding an older adult roommate to provide companionship and support.
Another form of community living for older adults is a senior cohousing community (SCC), in which a group purchases or rents housing together and each individual or couple occupies a private apartment or room. The group shares common areas, such as a kitchen and social spaces, and the responsibilities of property upkeep, utility costs, and chores.
Benefits and Challenges of Aging in Place with Home-Sharing and SCCs
Home-sharing and SCCs provide a variety of benefits, including live-in companionship that can prevent social isolation. Having extra hands around the house to assist with upkeep and care — and sharing the costs and resources among residents — can also ease the physical and financial burdens of aging in place.
In terms of challenges, the responsibility of finding and maintaining the building and managing the SCC rests entirely on its members. Also, home-sharing and SCC options don’t include on-site specialized care, so you will need to rely on outside resources to meet changing health needs.
Senior Living Communities
Senior living communities provide a safe, supportive environment in which adults 55 and older enjoy maintenance-free living, easily accessible social opportunities, on-site amenities and services, and hands-on help when needed.
A Community for Healthy Living, also known as a continuing care retirement community (CCRC), includes multiple levels of care on the same campus. As your health and care needs change, you can receive the help you need without moving to a new location. Care types include:
- Independent living: An ideal option for older adults who don’t require help with activities of daily living (ADLs) but would like to leave the burdens of homeownership behind to enjoy convenient amenities and social opportunities
- Assisted living: A balance of hands-on care and independence, providing residents with customized assistance, plus the same amenities and social opportunities offered by independent living
- Memory care: A safe, caring environment for older adults living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, including reliable daily routines and hands-on care to help them thrive
- Long-term care: An environment that provides around-the-clock nursing care for those living with complex medical needs or chronic conditions
- Short-term rehabilitation: A recovery-focused environment for those needing care after orthopedic injuries and surgeries, strokes, neuromuscular insufficiencies, cardiac conditions, and more, providing skilled nursing care and hands-on therapy so clients build strength before returning home
Benefits and Challenges of Choosing a Senior Living Community
In a senior living community, the full spectrum of your care needs can be met. You receive the hands-on assistance you need, when you need it. Perks and amenities include socialization opportunities, on-site general stores and banking, a low-maintenance lifestyle, multiple dining options, easy access to fitness and health resources, transportation, and the safety and security of knowing team members are on hand to meet your needs and help in emergencies.
When you choose a Community for Healthy Living, you benefit from the WesleyLife Promise: If you deplete your financial resources through no fault of your own, you will not be asked to leave your community or experience a reduction in the degree of care you receive.
In terms of challenges, the cost of a senior living community can vary widely and may be higher in certain cities or states, including entry costs and monthly fees.
4 Steps to Navigate the Senior Living Decision-Making Process
When exploring senior living options, consider the following steps before making a decision:
1. Assess your current needs and preferences.
Consider physical and healthcare needs in addition to personal wants and desires for quality of life and lifestyle. If possible, consult with loved ones and friends who have already experienced various senior living options to gain insight into which one might provide the most sustainable, long-term benefits as you age. Take into account which day-to-day factors are a priority for maintaining overall quality of life, including convenient social opportunities, access to healthy meals, recreational programming, and supportive services.
2. Research senior living options in your preferred area.
Location and accessibility matter, whether the goal is to age in place at home or to experience the low-maintenance lifestyle at a senior living community. Evaluate transportation availability to essential services and healthcare providers.
For individuals who want to remain in a family home, weigh the pros and cons of agency versus independent in-home care options. If a senior living community proves to be the best choice, look into options that provide the appropriate levels of care. Read resident and team member reviews, ask friends and family for personal recommendations, and take in-person tours of each community.
3. Consider current and future financial implications.
As you age, your changing health may require you to reevaluate and modify the amount of care you receive. Consider the long-term costs of aging in place by comparing the fees for increased hours of in-home care or Adult Day services versus the monthly fees and upfront costs of a senior living community. (WesleyLife even provides a cost calculator to help you weigh these factors!)
Most importantly, consult with a financial advisor who can provide personalized insight and recommendations to determine what is affordable and sustainable in the long run.
4. Make an informed decision.
Trust your instincts, but also rely on the opinions of trusted friends and loved ones and your own research. The senior living option that works best now may not be an ideal fit in a few years, so be ready to reassess your choice if life circumstances and care needs change.
Senior Living Options for Your Future
Whether your senior living options include remaining in your current residence or transitioning to a community setting, the goal is to maintain dignity, quality of life, and access to the support and care needed to thrive in your later years.
Curious about senior living communities in your area? Take Wesleylife’s Senior Living Community Assessment quiz to find out which location could be where you write your next chapter.
