Making the move to a senior living community can open an exciting new chapter for your aging loved one, a chapter filled with self-discovery, fulfillment and comfort. However, the enormous and often profit-driven senior living industry is not without peril, so it is critical to select a qualified option offering top-quality care. If you have been researching the options in your area, you have likely found that the wealth of options can make it difficult to reach a final decision.
So, how do you sift through the choices to land on an option that will foster the type of fulfilling lifestyle your loved one deserves? Below are three characteristics to look for during your research journey, and why they are important.
Multiple Levels of Care
There are plenty of fine senior living communities that only specialize in one particular area, such as memory care or assisted living. While they may be great options in and of themselves, singular offerings can create significant challenges when a resident’s needs change. It makes more sense to look for an option with a full continuum of care, most commonly known as continuing care retirement communities, or CCRCs. This means they have lifestyle choices catering to those with varying levels of need. This way, as the resident’s needs change, they can seamlessly transition from one level to another without needing to uproot their lives yet again to move to a new location.
Non-profit Status
Many conventional senior living companies are for-profit, meaning that their primary goal is to maximize revenue in order to satisfy investors, shareholders and corporate portfolios. This does not necessarily mean that they provide poor service, but the motivation to generate revenue can often overshadow the most important goal – providing excellent service, care and housing. Non-profit communities are often governed by volunteer Boards of Directors who have nothing to gain financially if corners get cut or shortcuts are taken. What’s more, once they have generated enough revenue to cover their expenses, they put the excess revenue right back into the community, creating a better place to live and allowing them to charge residents less for rent and amenities.
Up-front Pricing
Many senior living communities keep their prices hidden, often not revealing the true cost until after a lengthy and exhausting sales process. Not only does this practice waste the valuable time of both you and your loved one, but it can also lead to other financial surprises down the road, such as up-charges for services or amenities about which you do not learn until they are already moved in. Options that provide up-front pricing on their websites and during initial calls not only indicate honesty on the part of the operator, but they also expedite your research process and allow you to better financially plan for your family’s future. When it comes to your loved one’s future, you should never be kept guessing.
If you would like to learn more about a senior living community located in Ontario, Ca that meets all of these criteria and more, call Inland Christian Home today at (909) 983-0084 or contact us online.