How to Find Affordable Senior Living Near You
Iowa has the 18th most seniors by population in the country with over 560,000 people over 65.
The state is dotted with senior living communities to accommodate our growing senior population. Not all of these communities offer the best possible services for your aging loved one and even fewer could be considered remotely affordable.
If you don't think that there are any senior housing options in your budget, this post is for you. Today, we'll tell you how to find affordable senior living communities in your area.
Budget-friendly senior homes do exist, but you need to know what to look for to find them. Keep reading and you'll have the tips you need to find high-quality senior living without breaking the bank.
Determine Your Budget
When looking for affordable retirement living, you have to start by looking at yourself. It's in your best interest to do as much research as you can into how much these communities cost and what you can afford.
Going into the process blind will never end well. If you choose a community that's out of your budget, you may even have to uproot your loved one and move them into a different community.
There are many budgeting methods you can use to save up for senior care. Crunch the numbers to get a sense of your finances, then you can start thinking about your loved one's needs.
Determine Your Loved One's Needs
It's important to assess your loved one's needs to determine what type of senior living they need. Most communities can be separated into one of two groups - independent living and assisted living.
Independent living communities are geared toward healthy seniors who want to downsize and enjoy the social aspects of community living. Assisted living is better for seniors who need help with day-to-day activities, like getting dressed, washing, cooking, and taking medication.
There are also specialty services, like memory care, which is for seniors dealing with cognitive issues. If your loved one is among the seven million seniors with Alzheimer's or dementia, memory care can provide them with the structure, therapy, and safety to manage their evolving symptoms.
Talk to your loved one and other family members to create a list of essential needs and desired amenities. Armed with a budget and a list of needs, you can start your search in earnest.
Look at Local Ratings and Reviews
Look for the top senior living communities in your area by performing a Google search. This will bring up a list of everything available so you can perform more in-depth research.
The best way to start is by looking at ratings and reviews from the families of current and former residents. Nobody can tell you more about a senior living community than people who have experienced it.
Good reviews are important, but poor ones often provide more valuable information. If there are any issues with the type of care or staff in the community, you'll find out from reading bad reviews. Choose the communities with the best reputation to get quotes from.
Get Several Quotes
By getting 3 to 5 quotes from the top assisted living communities, you can get a real sense of the range of costs associated with senior care. When you speak to the community representatives, you must let them know about your loved one's current health condition and needs.
Most communities offer customizable services to meet the changing needs of different residents. What you require of the community will determine how much your costs will be. Fortunately, if you're on a budget, this means you can opt out of certain features and pay a more affordable rate.
Staff Training/Expertise
Obtaining quotes will tell you which communities are within your budget. Out of those, you'll need to take tours and come up with a list of questions to ask on these tours. One of the most important things to understand is what kind of training staff receive.
You want your loved one to get the best possible care. If they're entering memory care, then staff members will need specialized training to work with the unique challenges that dementia symptoms pose.
No matter how much you're paying for senior care, your loved one's health and safety is most important. Don't settle for a community that isn't equipped to do so.
Amenities in the Community
If staff and care are the backbone of a quality assisted living community, the amenities and community approach are what provide residents with a high quality of life. Look at what kinds of amenities each community has and match those with your needs.
For example, some communities may provide residents with ample outdoor space to explore. Other communities might have communal spaces where residents can socialize. One might have a pool, while another might have an in-house spa/fitness center.
Make a list of the amenities on offer by each community and figure out which one best matches your loved one's lifestyle. These things are often what sets one community apart from its competitors.
Community Engagement
The programming at a senior living community is also very important. A good community will have an activity calendar that's always full of diverse and interesting activities for residents to take part in.
When a community makes an effort to keep residents engaged, it displays a level of care for their quality of life. The more activities your loved one can take part in, the more physically healthy and mentally engaged they'll be.
Activities are often social as well. It's so important for senior living residents to socialize with their peers to decrease feelings of social isolation and the depression/anxiety that result. Your loved one will meet like-minded seniors and enjoy a happier, more active social life.
Find Affordable Senior Living Communities in Cedar Rapids, IA
Use this guide to find affordable senior living communities near you. For seniors in Cedar Rapids, Prairie Hills Assisted Living can provide your loved one with everything discussed here and more.
Our approach to senior care is to train our staff well and offer a variety of lifestyle perks to make assisted living as enjoyable as possible. To book a tour of our Cedar Rapids community, contact us today.