Assisted Living Facilities

Assisted living care facilities are in many ways the best of both worlds: you get as much help as you need with medical and personal services, but can still enjoy a homey atmosphere with some of your own things around you.

Also sometimes referred to as "sheltered living" or "sheltered care," assisted living facilities offer:

• At least a couple of meals a day in a common dining area
• Cleaning and laundry services
• Help with getting in and out of bed, getting dressed and other daily tasks
• Reminders to take medications
• Someone to check in on you at regular intervals
• As much medical monitoring as you want
• A private living space, that you can decorate and live in as you please
• Transportation to medical appointments and other activities
• Organized exercise and social activities
• Security systems and personnel

When looking at assisted living facilities, you'll want to find out:

• What type of medical staff is on call or in residence
• Procedures for emergency medical situations
• Whether the costs of meals and cleaning services are included in your rent, or are considered "extra"
• How long your rent is "locked in" at a certain rate, and how often rents have increased in the past
• The quality of the food, by checking out meal times yourself

Paying For Assisted Living

Resources for paying for assisted living, which can be up to twice as expensive as independent living housing, can come from:

• Long-term care insurance
• Government rent subsidies for the low-income
• State Medicaid waiver programs
• Government subsidies for those who receive Supplemental Security Income ("SSI") or Medicaid