Assisted living is apartment-style housing for seniors who need help with tasks like bathing, dressing, and grooming. You may hear it called a residential care facility, long-term care facility, assisted living facility, or board and care home. While care is a big part of assisted living, these communities also offer activities and services to make life easy and enjoyable.
Assisted living provides a safe setting for seniors, giving both residents and families peace of mind. Caregivers are available 24/7 in case a resident needs assistance. Wide walkways and wheelchair access can be found throughout the building for added ease and safety.
While seniors can always enjoy the privacy of their apartment, assisted living communities provide lots of activities and social events. Options include game nights, happy hours, outings, fitness classes, clubs, and more. Seniors can be as active and social as they want to be. In general, staying engaged benefits seniors physically and mentally.
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You may not be sure if your loved one needs assisted living or can live at home safely. Look for signs of decline or changes in health or hygiene. If you’re caring for your loved one, you may find that you need more help. Some caregivers may notice that stress from this role is bad for their own health.
If you think it’s time to talk about assisted living, it’s best to make your loved one part of this discussion. Waiting until a fall or moving after a hospital visit makes it harder to find a good fit, and makes moving more stressful. It’s best to bring up assisted living sooner than later.
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Assisted living offers a social, active life for seniors who need help with daily tasks. Care is tailored to each senior’s needs and includes help with mobility, medication management, using the bathroom, and more. The services a community provides help seniors focus on what they enjoy instead of spending time on chores. Housekeeping, apartment maintenance, transportation, and laundry are usually offered.
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Assisted living is a popular care type with a growing demand. When thinking about your senior care options, you’ll find many types of senior living. While other senior care types may offer similar services, there are important differences in the types and levels of care offered to residents.
Note that assisted living doesn’t provide medical care. If your loved one has a complicated or progressive health condition, you may need a nursing home.
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Assisted living costs vary from one community to the next. Key factors that determine costs include location, apartment size, and how much help your loved one needs. Different pricing models also affect costs. For example, while some assisted living facilities may be all-inclusive, others charge for services based on the senior’s needs.
Typically, an assisted living base fee covers rent, utilities, meals and snacks, housekeeping, transportation to doctor’s appointments, and social activities. Some outings or features may cost extra. Additional expenses may include help with personal care, internet, beauty and barber services, laundry, and pet fees.
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You may feel overwhelmed with choices when it’s time to find an assisted living facility for your loved one. In this case, there’s nothing like visiting a community to see a typical day. Touring an assisted living facility lets you see the building, assess cleanliness, and witness staff interactions with residents. You may also try a meal, participate in activities, and talk to other residents. Most assisted living facilities also offer virtual tours if an in-person visit isn’t possible.
One strategy is to tour several communities yourself and then bring your parent to your top two choices. Keep in mind which communities are most likely to appeal to them. Once you’ve chosen a community, staff may refer you to move managers. They may also help remove the moving boxes once you’ve unpacked. If you’re stressed about moving day, consider finding expert assistance to help with this major transition.
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Assisted living facilities offer housing and care for active seniors who may need support with activities of daily living, like bathing, dressing, and medication management.
The score shown is the overall experience rating which is an average of the reviews submitted for those communities. The overall experience rating is a star rating that ranges from 1 being the lowest to 5 being the highest.
Below are the 51 largest cities grouped by their metropolitan area.
Top states for Assisted Living
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