Explore Affordable Senior Housing Solutions Today

Do you think it's time for your loved one to enjoy more comfort and convenience?

There are 62 million people over 65 living in America today, many of whom need a bit of extra relief from the daily grind. Senior living services are a great choice if you count your loved one among this population.

But there are thousands of senior care options, some of which are very expensive. Finding affordable senior living communities requires you to do a bit of extra research. In today's post, we'll tell you what to look for in affordable and comfortable senior living.

You shouldn't have to break the bank to get your loved one the lifestyle they need. Keep reading and you'll know exactly what services to prioritize and how to separate the best communities from the rest.

Understand Your Loved One's Needs

You have to start your search by talking to your loved one about their wants/needs or assessing them yourself. The most important thing is that, when they enter a senior living community, they've got everything they need to live a happy and fulfilled life.

If they're happy and healthy, but you know they'll benefit from the community lifestyle, senior or retirement living communities are best. These give seniors a chance to bond with other seniors and enjoy a relatively maintenance-free lifestyle.

When they need a bit more help dealing with daily activities, such as getting dressed, bathing, or cooking, assisted living communities are the best choice. These communities have staff available around the clock to help with all of the above and programs geared toward healthy aging.

6.7 million people suffer from the debilitating effects of Alzheimer's and dementia. These people need more specialized care.

This is when you'd look for an assisted living community that also has memory care. Memory care involves more medical assistance, an extra safe environment, and specialized programming meant to deal with the unique symptoms of cognitive decline.

Establish Your Budget

Once you know what type of senior living you're looking for, you can create a budget. Senior living communities charge monthly for their services, but it's important to remember what you're getting in return. Your loved one won't have any other expenses - things like meals, taxes, and utilities are included.

It's also important to look into supplementary resources to bolster your financial situation. There are plenty of insurance policies and benefits that can help cover some of your senior living costs. Armed with a strong budget, you can truly begin your search for the perfect community.

Think About Location

The first part of your senior living search is to determine your ideal location. Location is important both for your loved one and the rest of their friends/family members. Your loved one will likely want to remain close to home so that they're in familiar territory.

Other friends and family will likely feel the same. One of the things that really aids the transition into senior living is having plenty of visitors. If the community is centrally located, more people will be able to visit them more easily.

In looking at locations, you should also consider the area. Find a community in a safe area with plenty of nice scenery and local amenities, as your loved one may want to go on short outings, both with their fellow residents and visitors.

Look at Ratings and Reviews

Searching for senior living begins with a Google search. By typing, "senior living near me" into Google, you'll be given all of the options in your search area. From there, it's all about assessing each community's reputation.

Ratings and reviews are essential for separating the very best communities from the rest. Reviews can tell you so much about the way that a community operates, how competent the staff are, and how happy residents are.

Good reviews are helpful, but poor reviews can bring up important red flags that you may not have considered. If there are any issues with the staff, food, or anything else, you'll find out in a bad review.

Use the reviews to narrow your selection down to 3-5 communities. From there, you can figure out which one strikes the best balance between affordability and quality.

Get Detailed Quotes

When cost is a primary concern, you should start by booking tours at each community and asking for detailed quotes. Getting a quote right away can help you eliminate certain communities before you visit them. You never want to get attached to a community early on, only to find out that it's unaffordable.

Most communities offer different types of services at different price points. If you're on a budget, a good community will lay out the most affordable room and dining packages. Sometimes sacrificing a little bit can go a long way in securing better senior living.

What You Get for Your Money

Tour each community to figure out what you're getting for your money. Meet as many staff members as possible to get a sense of their levels of compassion and expertise.

It's also important to look at what amenities the community has versus what your loved one is interested in. Some communities might have an in-house gym/spa, while others are built around outdoor space.

Look at the community activity calendar. The programming they offer should be centered around the physical, mental, and cognitive health of residents.

All of the rooms in the community should have full kitchens, but the best ones will also offer restaurant-style dining. Look at the menu to ensure it offers healthy, balanced meals that can maintain or improve your loved one's diet.

Your loved one may want to go on outings to local Prairie Hills amenities. The community should offer regular but safe transportation to give residents this freedom.

Affordable Senior Living Communities Exist

This guide should help you find an affordable and suitable senior living community for your loved one. It can be overwhelming to make this transition, but when you find the perfect community, you and your loved one can rest easy knowing they'll be well taken care of.

Affordable senior living communities do exist. At Prairie Hills Independence Senior Homes, our goal is to give our residents the best quality yo life at an affordable price point. To book your tour of our community, don't hesitate to contact us today.