An assisted living facility is a place for seniors to stay who are capable of living independently and yet need some assistance with their daily activities. These people usually need help with bathing, dressing, and going to the toilet. It is different from a nursing home where only medical care is provided. You can live independently and get help with daily activities when required. There are some facilities where you share a room with other residents and some, which provide apartments for each resident.
All this comes at a cost, of course. You will need to pay anything between $1000 and $4000 as monthly charges. The charge depends on factors like location, size and services provided. There may be variations in the monthly rates as there may be certain services you may want to use which will cost a little more. You need to be very careful in examining all the details before making your decision. A professional checklist would help you with that. Some of these facilities are state funded, but most of them accept only private payment. This means that you pay all the charges for the resident, be it yourself or any other family member.
Is There Any Assistance With Funds?
There are a few options you may choose from when it comes to funding the assisted living lifestyle. You may get assistance from an attorney who deals mainly with financial planning for the elderly. He would be able to give advice on how to plan your finances to enable you to pay for the facility. You can opt for a long-term care insurance plan that will cover the cost of staying at such a facility.
You even have the option of taking a Medicaid policy if you are eligible to do so. In order to be eligible for this policy, you need to fall in a low-income category. This policy would pay for all medical services. The cost for staying will have to be covered by you personally.
There is another option you can choose. The state provides SSI, or Supplemental Security Income, to the elderly with low income. This is meant to take care of basic needs like food, shelter and clothing. It would cover costs for institutional care if required. A person who has SSI can opt for a waiver program where he can use the funds to pay for staying at an assisted living facility instead of an institution.
Considering the fact that an elderly person may require more than what an assisted living facility has to offer, policies are being developed where Medicaid and SSI may be combined to provide a complete care facility. Under this policy, a resident of an assisted living facility would not have to shift somewhere else if his or her health deteriorates. The resident can remain in the same facility and get all the medical aid required.
There are so many issues you need to consider when choosing an appropriate assisted living facility. The information given here may prove to be of some help, at least where the financial issues are concerned.