There are many assisted living myths we hear regularly. Some of them boil down to common misconceptions due to lack of knowledge, while others are fantastical. While misinformation is all around, it is more important than ever to become informed about these myths surrounding assisted living. This will enable you to help your senior loved one make the right choice based on credible, relevant information.
Myth No.1: The Family is Responsible for Caring for their Senior at Home.
Nothing could be further from the truth! Many adult children struggle with guilt from not being financially or physically able to care for an aging parent. However, no law or rule stipulates that they are responsible for caring for their seniors at home. We live in a time when it is okay to ask for help. It’s okay to admit that you cannot juggle all the balls life throws at you. In fact, surrendering and accepting the proper support is doing a greater service to your senior and their quality of life. Everyone is certainly not cut out to be a caregiver and the responsibility of becoming a full-time caregiver for your senior loved one comes with
challenges and limitations.
Myth No.2: Assisted Living is Expensive and Only Suited for the Wealthy.
According to
Genworth, estimated in-home care costs can add up to +- $5,148 per month, while assisted living costs can add up to +- $4,500 per month. This busts the myth that assisted living only suits the wealthy upper-class elite. Remember that Medicare and Medicaid offer numerous ways to help cover the costs of assisted living. At the same time,
VA Benefits is also an option to explore to better understand what is included versus excluded.
Myth No.3: Assisted Living is a Diplomatic Term for ‘Nursing Home.’
Let’s bust this myth once and for all.
Nursing homes and assisted living communities are two separate things. They each provide different levels of care. Nursing homes offer the highest level of care and are suitable for seniors with significant medical needs. However, assisted living communities provide housing and care to seniors who may need some help with daily tasks. For example, getting dressed or housekeeping. However, they don’t require skilled nursing from medical professionals.
Myth No.4: My Aging Parent Won’t Enjoy an Assisted Living Community.
On the contrary. The right
assisted living community will undoubtedly offer your aging parent new freedom and excitement. A realisteic example would be a stimulating weekly activity calendar with a group of their peers. Furthermore, you, as the primary caregiver, will also benefit from newfound freedom on your hands. So all in all, this would result in a win-win scenario for both of you.
Myth No.5: The Food is Bad, and the Activities are Worse.
Once again, you can easily bust this myth when you find the right assisted living community for your senior loved one. Our Certified Placement Experts specialize in identifying communities that offer only the best in terms of care, location, activities, and culinary requirements for the families we serve. This is why it is so important to have a local expert along for the journey so you can make an informed decision after viewing a couple of assisted living communities’ weekly menus and activity calendars. This is ultimately the best way to get a feel for what it would be like to live there full-time.
If you have any questions or want more information, don’t hesitate to
contact us.We would be happy to help! Assisted living can be an excellent solution for those needing extra help taking care of themselves.
