Your Senior Living Communities

How to highlight your Assisted Living Communities Programs: IL versus AL

In many senior retirement communities, there are significant differences between Independent Living and Assisted Living programs. These differences are especially apparent in the areas of housing, amenities/services, and financing.

Depending on your community, the housing arrangements for Independent Living and Assisted Living may initially seem similar. In both programs, residents typically live in apartments and share certain community spaces. The main difference often lies in the amount of living space or amenities such as a kitchen. Assisted Living Communities may also include secure wings for residents with memory loss, ensuring their safety.

Besides living space, Independent Living and Assisted Living Communities differ greatly in the range of services they offer. Residents of Independent Living Communities are still self-sufficient and typically rely on only a few services, like housekeeping or transportation, to make their life more comfortable. These communities may also organize social events or include recreational opportunities, like a golf course.

Assisted Living Communities offer more personalized care, such as bathing or keeping track of medication, in addition to general housing services and social events. More staff members are also available 24/7, including a medical professional.

This additional care can make a big difference financially. However, residents of Assisted Living Communities may also have more access to financial support from government programs like Medicare and Medicaid. This financial aid isn’t available to residents of Independent Living Communities, since their services don’t include medical care. In other words, the extra costs of Assisted Living may balance out depending on the residents’ access to financial support.

Promoting your support for finding ways for Seniors to Pay

The costs of senior living communities can intimidate and discourage potential residents. That’s why it’s common for communities to offer several payment options, as well as guide seniors and family members through the financial process. With this flexibility and guidance, paying for a senior living community becomes a real possibility rather than a dream.

Although the majority of senior living communities must be paid for using personal funds, there are multiple ways to stretch those funds. Besides savings, retirement accounts, reverse mortgages, etc., seniors can use pensions and social security to cover the costs of a retirement community. Low- or no-income seniors who are 65+ or disabled can also receive Supplementary Security Income (SSI) benefits from the government. Seniors in Assisted Living Communities can use Medicaid or Medicare to cover the costs of medical care, too.

Seniors with long-term care insurance may get part of the community costs covered by their policy. Insurance policies can differ significantly, but it’s worth taking a look at what services and housing are covered.

Finally, seniors can convert their life insurance policies into a Long-Term Care Benefit Plan, which provides monthly payments towards a senior living community. When these options are considered in addition to personal funds, the final bill may seem doable instead of impossible.