Senior Homes • Assisted Living • Memory Care

Have you ever wondered about why there are so many different senior housing options? Here's a brief breakdown on the different types of care facilities and what differentiates them. The good news is that there are a lot of options in North San Diego County!

55+ APARTMENTS - no care or meals are available. Apartments that cater to the 55+ population, no meals are included, but they usually have a recreation room and may have some scheduled activities. Check Your local Housing Office for a list of affordable options or get on a list for subsidized housing if you income qualify. You cannot be eligible for special rates if you do not have an application on file. IN-HOME CARE - averages $22.00 an hour, or up to $15,000.00 a month for 24 hour care. In-Home Care companies provide caregivers that come to your own home. You can contract with them for care from 2-24 hours per day. Be sure to ask about whether they perform criminal background checks and about their training requirements.

Month to Month Retirement Residence Housing Options

INDEPENDENT LIVING There are retirement communities that provide meals and housekeeping services, but are not licensed to operate as an assisted living facility. You must contract with an outside In-Home Care company separately if care is needed. The Independent Living facilities are not set up to take care of anyone who has dementia or is a wander risk.

INDEPENDENT AND ASSISTED LIVING also known as an RCFE-Residential Care Facility for the Elderly Licensed by The Department of Social Services, they provide meals, housekeeping, activities and care. They usually cannot accommodate someone who is a wander risk. They come in all shapes and sizes at different price points.

INDEPENDENT, ASSISTED LIVING AND MEMORY CARE RCFE This full service model can accommodate all assisted living types including memory care for a person who may wander because they have a secured memory care unit and specialized memory care training for staff.

MEMORY CARE ONLY RCFE This type of facility has security, activities and dementia care training specialized for persons with Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia.

6 BED RESIDENTIAL CARE HOME-RCFE An ordinary residential house that is licensed to operate as an assisted living facility. You have 1-2 caregivers for 6 residents, but they may be lacking in food and activities choices compared to larger facilities.

CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY-CCRC You pay an upfront fee to have the right to live at the community, they are usually upscale resort-like communities.

SKILLED NURSING FACILITY Licensed by the Department of Health Services, they accept private pay, Medicare or Medi-Cal. Medicare will only pay for your stay if you have rehabilitative potential and only after a qualifying hospital stay which is usually 3 midnights. You must have a physician’s order and a skilled medical need to reside in a skilled nursing facility.

COMMUNITY CARE LICENSING The Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing is the agency that inspects all licensed Assisted Living/Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly aka RCFE. All RCFE facilities require a Physician’s Report and a TB Clearance prior to admission. All staff working in assisted living facilities must have a Department of Justice and FBI Clearance. www.ccld.ca.gov

During the baby boom, 76 million Americans were born. I was born in 1961, I am a younger boomer married to an older boomer. There are major differences in the life experiences of Baby Boomers depending on which end of the spectrum that you grew up in from being a teenager during The Beatles, Woodstock-Vietnam War era to the disco-heavy metal transition from Jimmy Carter to The Ronald Reagan Era, but everyone will agree that “The Baby Boomers” are a rare breed that grew up in a very special time. Baby boomers had no hand held electronics except for an AM transistor radio, we played outside until dark, we walked to school, we grew up with a handful of television channels and we drank from the garden hose!

The peak of the baby boom was 1957. I know as a boomer, we want to be known as the generation that is freer from social expectations, we didn’t want to necessarily follow in our parent’s foot-steps by doing everything that was expected during the 1950’s ideals of what was the American Dream. All of our soul searching has made us free to be, but I think many of us baby boomers could learn a thing or two from our parents and grandparents who were a little more respectful of preserving more conservative family values and that is just my opinion. Baby boomers are one of the largest generations in U.S. history. The baby boomer generation, makes up a whopping 76 million Americans, is rivaled in size only by millennials -- many of whom are the children of boomers. The millennial generation, born from 1980 through 1999, similarly includes about 76 million Americans.

Many baby boomers are supporting their children whether they are living at home or have moved out. Many baby boomers are raising their grandchildren.

Baby boomers are living longer than previous generations due to modern medicine, but this trend may change due to the lack of proper nutrition and the obesity epidemic. Baby boomers are also more likely to remain independent and stay in their own homes as they age.

Many baby boomers are working longer, maybe because they haven’t saved as much for retirement as their more conservative parents. By 2030, one in five Americans will be older than 65, some experts believe that the aging of the population will place a strain on our social welfare system.

Again I ask the question, Are you ready for the Senior Tsunami?

#seniortsunami, #agewave #babyboomers

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is a true statement especially when you become a senior. My best advice for anyone at any age living alone is to have some sort of emergency alert button that you actually wear when you are home alone that you can press if you are experiencing a medical emergency or are on the floor and cannot get up. Things happen when you least expect it, that’s why they are called accidents! Some emergency alert systems can also be programmed to remind you to take your medications or give you other important reminders.

Please check your home inside and out for any type of trip hazards like uneven or raised concrete or slippery floor rugs. Falls are one of the leading causes of death amongst seniors.

Be sure to change your batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms annually, try to do it on the same day each year to make it easy to remember.

I would recommend that we all have a small emergency kit in a bag that can be grabbed quickly near our bedside with an extra pair of shoes, jacket, eye glasses, a flashlight, portable radio and extra batteries in case of a fire or earthquake.

Have a list of your medications or a “vial of life” attached to your refrigerator and put a sticker on your front door indicating that in case of an emergency.

Medic Alert bracelets are important to let emergency medical personnel know of any medical conditions or allergies that you may have. You can and should order a “Safe Return” bracelet from The Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org for anyone with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia that may be a wander risk.

Make it a habit of not doing any business with people you don’t know over the phone or internet, seniors are prime target for phone and internet scams.

Lastly, be sure to install grab bars in your bathroom if needed, most accidents happen in the bathroom.

Home modification is now a big business, many seniors are hiring contractors to add ramps, grab bars, widening doorways, remodeling bathrooms and adding stair lift chairs to make their home more senior friendly. It’s a great time to be a senior…..you have many choices and options!

Our next blog will feature a brief outline of the different types of Senior Living Facilities from Independent Living to Skilled Nursing and everything in-between.