Where to Spend Your Old Age
Assisted living facilities: ideal for the able-bodied elderly
Assisted living facilities are structures designed to facilitate the daily life of people over 60 years old, offering many services. They are intended for autonomous, non-disabled, and semi-able-bodied people.
What are the solutions provided to improve the comfort of life? What disadvantages can be found in assisted living facilities?
Our answers to your questions to live better!
Assisted living facilities: what are the advantages?
Assisted living facilities are residences in which you can rent or buy an apartment or a single-story house, designed to facilitate the life of older adults, most often with reduced mobility.
They offer many services that facilitate the comings and goings of their residents. You will find, among others:
- housekeepers,
- restaurants,
- caterers,
- doctors and nursing staff,
- security (reception 7 days a week, intercom, gates to the residence; etc.),
- and all kinds of breakdown services.
Assisted living facilities also can be user-friendly since groups of the same age group live there and have access to the same leisure activities.
With life expectancy increasing, assisted living facilities are springing up everywhere.
Good to know: assisted living is often a more economical solution compared to the cost of a retirement home. Discover the concept of assisted living for seniors on a specialized website.
Services and activities
In addition to housing, assisted living facilities offer seniors a wide range of activities and services.
The different services vary from one assisted living facility to another. These services and activities are optional and not free of charge. It is possible to benefit from (non-exhaustive list):
- a medical surveillance service, paramedical services;
- a collective restaurant and home delivery service
- housekeeping services;
- maintenance service for collective and individual spaces;
various activities:
- sports and cultural clubs;
- hairdressing salon;
- administrative services;
- game rooms, sports rooms, library…
Tip: when you see the rent price, ask about the cost of the services offered, which are generally charged in addition to the accommodation. One website even offers a search engine to find an assisted living facility for seniors.
Disadvantages of assisted living for seniors
Although assisted living has many advantages, it also has some disadvantages:
Assisted living facilities are sometimes not sufficiently medicalized, which is complex when there is a tremendous loss of autonomy.
They are often located far from city centers and therefore from transportation and shops.
Some charges and rents can be excessive, although they rarely exceed those of retirement homes.
Some assisted living facilities abuse these charges, which they bill as incompressible services, sometimes for several hundred euros per month.
What is a residential home?
A residential home is an ideal intermediary solution between staying at home and a public or private retirement home. It is adapted to non-dependent seniors.
This type of establishment offers its residents the independence of living in an apartment. It also provides activities and community spaces.
Homes offer apartments that are generally rented empty. Each resident has a bathroom, toilet, and kitchen. They often offer facilities designed for the elderly, such as an adapted bathroom, a remote alarm system, etc.
Residential homes: services and benefits
The home allows for community living. The individual apartments are organized around or near common living areas: relaxation room, games room, sports room, restaurant, and other activities.
It is important to note that using these different services and facilities is optional. However, these services and activities offered to residents are billed in addition to the apartment’s rent.
The home allows each person to remain independent while benefiting from adapted facilities and, sometimes, a medical or social presence. Homes are generally located in urban areas, close to shops and everyday services.
You can benefit from social assistance if you meet the required criteria and if the home is entitled to social service.
The advantages of a home
A residential home has certain advantages:
you can furnish and decorate your home as you wish;
You are independent, free to go out whenever you want, and free to receive visitors at any time;
you benefit from a 24-hour security guard;
you have an individual mailbox.
Hope this post will help you find your way into the dynamic elderly care business.
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