Making family decisions about senior care can involve some of the toughest conversations and hardest choices in a lifetime. The more you know, the more confidently you can move through this phase of life and into enjoying the warm September of your years, as Frank Sinatra famously sang.

Here’s a quick guide on small communities like Inland Christian Home versus large providers in the Ontario, California, area like Holiday, Atria, Brookdale, Pacifica and Sunrise.

Small Communities

Small providers can provide lower costs to residents. For example, Inland Christian Home’s average monthly rate is $4,000.

The mission, vision and values of small communities are typically reflective of the organization’s history and the founder’s values. At Inland Christian Home, our daily approach to care is influenced by the founders’ heritage in the Christian faith.

The operations may be governed by an accessible volunteer Board of Directors. It may be easier to be heard and affect change.

Many are non-profits, which means no owners profit from the community’s operations and all revenues are reinvested into the operations of the community.

More known for individualized care.

Some are foundation-based, which means they collect donations, invest funds and distribute a portion of the resulting income to the community and its operations.

Large Providers

Genworth’s Cost of Care Survey reports that in 2021, the average cost of assisted living in California was $5,250 monthly. Larger providers’ fees tend to be on the higher end of that average.

The mission, vision and values of large providers can be somewhat removed from the experiences of everyday people in their care, as they have more stakeholders to appease, like investors, management companies and large executive teams.

The operations are usually governed by a complex web of investors, managers and executives. It can be more difficult to be heard and affect change.

Most are for-profit and some are publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange, which can mean profitability is priority.

More known for standardized processes and services.

Very few are foundation-based.

In short, a small community will be a better fit for an older adult who has a tighter budget, enjoys or needs more individualized care, has values that align with that smaller community’s values, wants more autonomy to affect change where possible and appreciates open-book finances of the organization to whom they have entrusted their care. A large provider may be better for the senior who has more resources to pay for care, gets a sense of security from standardized processes and services, and feels a sense of trust when interacting with corporations. The most important thing is a good fit.

“Thank you for providing such a safe, beautiful and Christian-centered home. Inland is such an expression of God’s care.”

– Ken

 

If you would like to learn more about an Ontario Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) offering a full continuum of care including assisted living, independent living, memory care and more, contact Inland Christian Home. Call us today at (909) 983-0084 or reach us online.