The Economy’s Impact on Senior Housing Trends

The United States Census Bureau has reported that a third of the country’s population will be 50 years or older by the year 2010. Accordingly, a 2009 study conducted jointly by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the MetLife Mature Market Institute (MMI) revealed that the Baby Boomer generation alone will represent 25% of the United States population by 2010. With seniors representing such an astonishingly larger segment of the housing market, it is important to assess how recent economic conditions are impacting senior lifestyles and their housing needs.

As unemployment figures have continued to increase in this recessionary economic climate, many seniors are facing layoffs or reduced hours. Seniors who have lost their jobs often run a higher risk of foreclosure as their prospects in the job market are more challenging today as more applicants compete for fewer positions. In another 2009 study conducted by United Sample and Golden Gateway Financial, more than 50% of seniors polled said their net worth had decreased by 10% to 30% over the past year. Consequently, it should come as no surprise that 50% of this study’s respondents said they are concerned that their overall net worth may no longer be enough to sustain their retirement and they now plan to retire after the age of seventy.

As a means of coping with this fiscal predicament, many seniors have opted to move in with other members of their families to share living expenses. Intergenerational households also reap the benefit of avoiding the cost of residential care facilities by providing care and support for senior family members at home. In fact, this trend may even pre-date the recession as the U.S. Census Bureau has also released that the number of parents, siblings and other relatives living with the heads of households grew 42% from the year 2000 to 2007.

The housing industry is also taking note of how seniors are rapidly embracing technology and the internet when seeking housing options. A recent survey conducted by the Internet Home Alliance Research Council revealed that 63% of seniors have home offices in their new homes, while an amazing 70% have broadband internet access at home. Further, a survey conducted by International Demographics revealed that 47% of those over 50 years-old utilize the internet on a regular basis, and 70% of those between 50 and 64 years-old are actively online. Finally, a study by Charles Schwab showed that 13 million U.S. adults over 50 years of age have internet access, and this number is growing rapidly. This figure amazingly represents 16.5% of the total online population of the United States.

This significant increase in the utilization of the internet has provided seniors with the means to be more thorough and selective in researching housing options. As a result, senior housing providers are now concentrating their marketing efforts on the internet to attract this steadily increasing demographic. So despite the obstacles that recent economic conditions have created, seniors are quickly adapting to the times by cutting costs and becoming more technologically savvy. Since these trends are showing no signs of slowing, the housing industry must continue to quickly adjust to meet the needs of this tremendous segment of the nation’s population.

Senior Housing Assistance And More

If you need senior housing assistance, there are a myriad of options available for every situation and budget. Whether your loved one needs continuing care retirement while recovering from an illness, or you would like to find home healthcare agencies to help in your home or your loved one’s, there are lots of possibilities. Many websites will allow you to search for senior housing based on the needs that you or your loved one has. If he or she is in decent physical shape and just needs a little help with preparing meals or driving, home healthcare agencies can provide varying levels of assistance. If the senior in your life would like to remain in his own home, a home health aide can be a great help if you are not always available to be there. Home health care can range from taking your parent or spouse to doctor’s appointments, making meals, cleaning and doing more care-intensive activities like bathing and administering medicine. Continuing care retirement communities can be a great option for ailing seniors who need continuous monitoring or more intensive medical care. The great thing about continuing care retirement facilities is that your loved one can move from more independent living accommodations to nursing home care and back again, if necessary. One facility will be home to your loved one, regardless of their state of health. This is nice, because there will be little disruption in the event of health changes, allowing your loved one to stay with the same friends and staff they have come to know and trust. Senior housing assistance is great to consult for help finding a good fit for your family member with any level of independence or health. Even if you just want to find an independent living community where your loved one can get help with transportation or the occasional meal, there are great locales for everyone. It is often best to allow your loved one to remain as independent as is possible, while still receiving the care he or she needs.

Senior Care Homes-Care and Housing Options in NJ

Many times, adult children of seniors find themselves playing the role of advocate to obtain care of parent. This may begin when a parent becomes ill or injured and has to be hospitalized or you may see that your parent is declining and can no longer be alone and will require ongoing care. What do you do then? So many people, it’s like a “trial by fire”, trying to learn the language of senior care homes options in order to make the best decision for their loved one. Understanding the different senior care terms can make this an easier task.  

Rehabilitation/Sub acute Care Center-this type of facility provides short term therapeutic care for patients once discharged from the acute care of a hospital. The therapy provided includes physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. A typical stay in a rehab center is usually about two to three weeks. The goal is to restore the patient to normal capacity.

Home Care-also known as senior in home care or home health care. This type of service provides a range of services that include assistance with bathing, toileting, dressing, and ambulation. Home care can also include meal preparation, light housekeeping and laundry services. In-home care can be provided for a few hours per day or on a 24 hour per day basis depending on need.

Adult Day Care/Medical Day Care-a protective environment for seniors needing a structured program. Services for adult day care vary from custodial care, offering stimulating activities for independent seniors along with meals, to an adult medical day care which provides activities to seniors with medical needs.  Seniors are usually brought to an adult day care program in the morning and leave in the evening. Transportation to and from the center is often available.

Assisted Living-is a combination of housing and personal health support services for seniors. Services in an assisted living usually include:
-private or semi-private apartment
-emergency call systems
-daily meals served in a common dining room
-social and recreational activities
-transportation
-assistance with personal care
-medication management
-24 hour staff
-laundry and housekeeping services
In addition, many assisted living facilities have a secure unit for memory impaired seniors.

Nursing-Convalescent Home/Skilled Nursing Facility-For those with a need for more acute care, a nursing home provides patients with 24 hour care. This type of facility is generally for patients requiring ongoing skilled care such as bathing, toileting, dressing, as well as assistance with ambulation. Medical supervision and rehabilitation services are also provided.  

Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC)-a community that offers multiple levels of assistance to seniors. Levels of care range from independent living, assisted living and nursing home care. A CCRC provides a continuum of housing and health care options on one central campus.  Seniors who opt to live at a CCRC usually sign a long term contract (often the length of a resident’s life). This offers the senior the peace of mind that they can receive housing and assistance at one site, as their needs increase.

Senior Housing – Your Ultimate Guide

Many people hold the belief that taking care of their parents, right in their own homes, is the way to go. There are circumstances, though, when even the ideal must give way to practical considerations. When your aging parents become ill and require constant medical care and supervision, or when they are recuperating from an injury/disorder but can no longer be left on their own, obtaining paid professional help can ease tremendous pressure off you (especially if you’re dealing with unceasing work demands).

Senior housing facilities operated by individuals committed to the care of the elderly have sprouted in recent years. Many of these are run by competent individuals who value their main clients – elderly who depend on them to make life as easy as possible while grappling with age-related disorders, or memory loss, or simply bouts of loneliness.

Some of the most popular senior housing options are  residential care or assisted living, which is characterized by a homelike environment and is geared towards helping residents in their daily routines; and nursing homes, which are generally replete with specialized care facilities & supplies and staffed with medical experts, nutritionists and other professionals to provide care for injured or sick seniors.

Another type of senior housing is the continuing care retirement community (CCRC), which may run the gamut from independent living facilities to assisted living or special nursing homes. When opting for a CCRC, clients will be paying for long-term care, upfront “rent” & housekeeping and meals.  A CCRC is pricey. There are payment schemes like pay-as-you-go or modified. Some seniors move in at a relatively early age to get to enjoy activities like informative lectures, bike paths, and fitness classe

Consider all the Seniors Housing Options for Your Eldery Loved One

There are many different seniors housing options that you may consider if an elderly loved one has reached a point in their life where they can no longer live on their own without any assistance.  There is home healthcare if you just need someone to help with the medical needs and everyday activities of a parent or other relative, so they can stay in their home safely and comfortably.  If your elderly loved one has very specific medical needs that must be met every day, you may also consider a skilled nursing facility.  There are also senior residential communities that allow the senior to live independently, but still provide the care that they may need from time to time.

If you think that seniors housing might be the right choice for you and your loved one, you will need to think long and hard about their unique needs before making a decision.  If your loved one needs custodial care or rehabilitative care, the skilled nursing facility is probably the right way to go.  These facilities are licensed to provide physical, occupational or speech therapy, as well as specialized care for Alzheimer’s patients.  Many of the modern facilities also provide social, recreational and spiritual activities, though, so it isn’t just like living in a hospital like many people might fear.

Home healthcare might also be a good option if your budget allows.  This will allow your loved one to stay in your home or their own home even though they have medical needs that must be met every day.  Once their needs for assistance become too great to manage, however, you might have to consider moving them into a facility where they can get the help they need.  It might also be better for them to be surrounded by other seniors, especially if they live alone.   

If your loved one is in fairly good health, there are many types of seniors housing that might be more appropriate for them.  There are adult family homes, independent living communities, and continued living facilities that provide many different levels of care so they can remain there even if their medical condition changes and they need more daily assistance.  There is also subsidized senior housing where little to no services may be provided, but there is a community of people surrounding the residents who are all going through the same stages in life.

Making the Transition to Senior Housing

The moving process always causes a great deal of stress which, for seniors and their families, can be compounded by a number of complicating factors. The following are a few tips for those who are getting ready to move.

Downsize early

Often, seniors are moving into a smaller space when transitioning into a senior housing community, which means many of belongings they may have accumulated over the years won’t fit in their new home. This can create a very difficult situation when it comes time to move, as it often comes down to throwing away many items which hold sentimental value.

 Try to go through this process as early and as gradually as possible. Get the family together and go through the basement, attic or garage well before the time comes to move. Doing so will ensure that the move to senior housing goes much more smoothly.

 Check to make sure it’s a good fit

Often families overlook seemingly-smaller issues when selecting a senior housing community which can prove to be deal breakers down the road. After finding a community that is in the desired area and provides the basic care needs, continue to ask questions. Do they allow pets? Does the community offer kosher or vegetarian meals? Is smoking allowed? What are most of the other residents like? These are often-overlooked issues that should be considered before a decision is made.

 Look into getting help

Moving into senior housing poses many potential complications that one simply doesn’t have to worry about in any other situation. Seeking the help of a professional senior move manager can save mounds of time, effort and frustration in the long run.

 The National Association of Senior Move Managers is the largest senior move manager professional organization in the nation. Its members have experience helping seniors make the transition into senior housing, and their expertise extends beyond the moving process. NASMM members can even help you find an appropriate senior housing community, as the organization has partnered with snapforseniors.com which maintains the most current and comprehensive senior housing resource in the nation.

For further details about senior housing, retirement homes, assisted living and senior care services visit snapforseniors.com

California Senior Housing Community

There are families in which senior members reach the age when they wish both to live independently and as well as still relish the facilities of a senior housing community . This will be a concern for the senior wishing to get advantage of this opportunity and also the younger members of the family who need to find the foremost appropriate place for his or her elderly parents.

As an example, amidst all the potential locations in the State of California (and there are 535 senior housing communities in California) it’s continuously wise to check their services on the community’s websites so as to settle on the acceptable one. The website retirement homes com  offers a manual to retirement living by highlighting numerous selections.

There are senior housing communities placed in a vacation atmosphere by the sea and other in an urban location. Other choices are acceptable for an ecologically inclined senior member who would love living in an area filled with natural foliage.

The primary move for a younger friend is finding a suitable senior housing community for the family’s senior members is to apply for for advice.

The California Registry offers its services by replying  commonly asked questions regarding geographic preferences, care desires and budget demands. They respond to matters that may necessitate counseling services for the seniors. A client assessment questionnaire is sometimes required in order to make the method easier for the counselor’s analysis of potential the senior housing communities that are applicable for a particular senior member.

Short listed options and advised locations are sent by means of e-mail, fax or mail to the inquirer and this capability saves time, money and effort for the family. If  there will be an critical need for a senior member to be relocated without delay to a senior housing community, the California Registry also takes the necessary actions to facilitate that emergency request.

Some useful tips for selecting a senior housing community are as follows:

1. Make a briefing for a 1st visit. This allows you to be seen by the directors at once . However, if you have got already determined on a specific facility, go there unannounced, especially during mealtimes, so you’ll be able to examine how meals are dealt with.

2. When there is no workers present, move toward a dweller and have a word to the person so as to get some insight into his or her feeling in that specific senior housing community.

3. Don’t be taken in by the nice appearance of the facility. Of course, it is foremost that the facility will be orderly, clean and without offensive smells. What one should seek for, is that it’s well maintained and kept in sensible situations but not necessarily over-decorated.

4. Intensely observe how workers and residents cooperate with each other. It is crucial that the occupant is comfy with the staff. The psycho-social wants of the residents must be met by the staff. See if the residents appear down. Maybe that is a sign that they will not be receiving the highest quality of life that they had expected.

5. It is fundamentally vital to comprehend and perceive the terms and conditions of the leasing deal or resident agreement. Discover what is included and what is not included within the services and whether there are additional prices not pointed out in the document. In addition, ask to look at the facility’s state licensing check up survey.

6. Lastly, notice out what will happen if the cash runs out. Sometimes residential care homes have Medi-Cal agreements with the State that give for the guardianship of residents whose funds are exhausted.

Senior Housing Options to Explore and Understand

As America ages, more and more elderly people every year are faced with the need to make a lifestyle change. However, many are reluctant to face this change because they are operating on an out-of-date paradigm, typically envisioning a musty, run-down “old-folks home” as the only option.

And 50 years ago they might have been right. But retirement communities are much different now… and they aren’t the only alternative either. While the senior housing market is vast and ever changing, below is a brief summary of the most common options for people to understand and explore as they thinking about making a lifestyle change.

==Make no changes, stay in home==

This is a viable option and needs to be carefully evaluated. Some people will put a qualifier to the decision, e.g. until I need assisted living, until I can’t drive, until my spouse dies. Even if you or your parents decide this option is best, re-evaluate it periodically as changes occur in life to be sure it is still the best and safest option.

==Downsize to smaller home==

Another option to explore may be to simply unload the larger home and downsize to a smaller home, apartment, condominium or townhouse. Carefully consider age and how many more times you or your parents want move.

==Move in with family==

My experience has been that most people in this day and age would prefer not to do this, yet it is an option that many families embrace. It may need to be seriously considered for financial reasons. Others accept this as part of their cultural or family traditions. Today’s hectic pace of family life can present challenges for both young and old, especially if both spouses are working and there are young children in the household.

==Move to an Active Adult Community==

Active Adult Communities for ages 55+ are popping up all over the country. As the first wave of baby-boomers turn 60, they hope to capture this massive wave of aging America. An Active Adult Community will be the same as traditional real estate, but with access to senior-oriented activities and without teenagers or toddlers living next door.

==Move to a Retirement Community==

The differences in retirement communities will be around how they are paid for and what, if any, future long-term care services may be included. The setting will be designed with the aging process in mind—grab rails in the tub/shower areas, no stairs, wider doorways for walkers, wheelchairs or scooters, etc. The community may include apartment homes, townhouses with all living and laundry on one floor or variations of the lifestyle called villas, cottage homes, duplexes or the like. The verbiage may change but the concept remains the same. The most common types of Retirement Communities are:

~~~The Rental Retirement Community: The resident pays for the cost of living in the community on a month-to-month rental basis. The community may have just independent living or it may also have assisted living and/or long-term care. The defining factor here is that the resident pays rent.

~~~The Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC): “Continuing Care” means there is Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Skilled Nursing care all on the same campus or in the same building. Most frequently the consumer will find the CCRC requires an up-front investment, often referred to as an Entrance Fee, and a recurring Monthly Fee that includes services and amenities. This option involves various types of contracts referred to as “Residency Agreements” and is usually the most complex for the consumer to grasp.

~~~The Retirement Community with limited services: There continue to be many new versions of the retirement community lifestyle springing up in the market with variations on the how the resident pays and what they get for what they pay. Many times they will look and feel similar to the models mentioned above, but simply have fewer services. This may include some enhanced common areas but perhaps no 24-hour security, no staff or transportation on weekends, no health care components, etc.

Whichever option seems right to you, be sure to evaluate your own risk and value judgments, and discuss the change with those you love and who will most likely be your support network as time goes on.

Seniors Feel Home Like With Smaller Senior Housing Community

Many seniors and their families prefer the homelike feel of a smaller senior housing community. With 247 different senior housing license types nationwide—about 60 specific to facilities with 20 or less beds—identifying these communities often proves arduous. Smaller communities fall under the umbrella category of “Assisted Living”, and in many states are not distinguished from larger assisted living communities.

Such is the case in states like California and Colorado, where assisted living communities of all sizes are called “Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly” and “Assisted Living Residences” respectively. Senior housing license type names are more helpful in states such as Washington, where senior housing communities with no more than six residents are called “Adult Family Homes”.

The following are a few general tips for quickly identifying small senior housing communities from their senior housing license type:

Senior housing license types specific to small senior housing communities often include phrases such as “Family Home”, “Foster Care”, “Personal Care”, “Group Home” or “Boarding Care”.

 

Some states that use general names such as “Assisted living” as licensing designations will also specify community size. Some do so overtly with words like “Small” (Michigan), while others use code such as “Type-I” (Hawaii).

 

Senior Housing features a License Type Reference which provides a detailed definition of all 247 license types categorized by state. The resource proves especially useful when searching for housing in an unfamiliar area.

 

Deciphering license types for senior housing in the US can be a convoluted process due to the lack of standardization from state to state. When searching for a senior housing community in an area with which you are unfamiliar, it’s often a good choice to contact the local Area Agency on Aging which can be found through www.n4a.org.

 

 

 

Guidelines in Choosing Retirement Housing

1. Determine if living in retirement housing is for you. Living in retirement housing requires a lot of adjustments and flexibility. Ask yourself if you can be flexible with your new environment. Your lifestyle may also change and you should be prepared that the place, the surroundings, the people and many factors may be far more different from what you have now.

2. Consider it early. Living in a retirement location may require you a lot of time to make a decision. However, you should consider it early. It will be difficult for you to decide when your health is already failing. You need to think about it and decide for it before your body starts to get weak. In addition, moving in to retirement housing will undoubtedly bring on physical and emotional stress because of the changes in lifestyle. Therefore, it is better to make your decisions while you are still strong and able to cope with changes.

3. Make a list on what you are looking for in a retirement location. Since moving to a retirement housing means living in a new place, shop around before jumping on a final decision. Make a checklist of what you like in a retirement location. Getting a handbook of every prospect will also help you make the job easier. Consider the houses, the neighborhood, the different amenities and accessibility of the place.

4. Visit the home. It is better to check on many retirement locations before you make the final choice. You can then narrow down your choices. Visiting the place will help you make the comparison and will make you also consider if the place feels right for you. That will also be the chance for you make a survey of the neighborhood. You can also ask them what they like about the place, the experiences and the things that they do not like about the place.

5. Know the legal structures involved in getting retirement housing. You should be aware of the legal issues, implications that are involved in getting a retirement home. Know the service charges; stamp duties, legislations, and capital replacements costs that will be involved. Read the files and documentations involved and consult with a lawyer.

6. Know the fees. Determine the fees involved in getting the retirement housing. Ask about the entry cost, service and departure fees. Also, consider the benefits and risks involved in the location for you to be able to assess if the charges are worth it. Do not forget expenses that will arise once you have moved in the place. You need money to live and that is why it important to have a financial plan before you make any permanent decisions about moving into a retirement location.

Next Page »