Starting the journey
It's never too early to start exploring senior living as an option for your retirement. In fact, the sooner you begin community life, the sooner you can begin reaping the rewards.
Benefits of Senior Living
When you think about senior living, you might think about amenities and conveniences like lawn maintenance and on-site dining. But there's a lot more to community living than those perks. Residents in Cedarhurst communities enjoy fitness classes to help them meet their physical wellness goals and friendly neighbors who are always up for a chat or stroll around campus.
One thing is certain: When done right, senior living makes overall wellness easier and more fun. When you're a Cedarhurst resident, you can find new ways to pursue your passions and live a life among neighbors who become true friends.
When Is the Best Time to Move to Senior Living?
It's never too early to move into a senior living community. In fact, it is better to choose a senior living community you love long before a medical crisis forces your decision. Your first step to writing your senior living story begins here.
Assessing the lifestyle options
Senior living isn't meant to be universal for every resident. Exceptional communities offer a variety of lifestyle options that give residents the support and resources they need.
Types of Lifestyle Options
Senior living communities often offer at least one lifestyle option: independent living, assisted living, memory care, or skilled nursing. Each lifestyle option comes with its own different key features that make it more—or less—supportive and specialized.
Independent living communities offer many amenities and resources for residents who don't need additional support. Assisted living communities feature around-the-clock caregivers who offer a helping hand with daily living tasks. Memory care communities are specially designed for those living with Alzheimer's disease or another type of dementia. Skilled nursing communities offer higher-acuity care for chronic or complex medical conditions.
Which Option Is Best for Me?
If you aren't quite sure which lifestyle option is best for you, consider chatting with your physician about it. You can also call a Cedarhurst community near you to talk more about your situation, and our experienced team members can guide you in the right direction.
CHECK OUT OUR GUIDE UNDERSTANDING SENIOR LIVING LIFESTYLES GUIDE FOR MORE INFORMATION
Finding the right community
The senior living community you choose should feel welcoming, vibrant, and exciting. It should also give you plenty of opportunities to express your own style and pursue your own schedule.
What to Look For
As you begin to research senior living communities, you'll find that you can learn the most about each one by taking a tour. During your tour, you'll have the chance to see the community in action, giving you a sneak peek into daily life there.
While you are touring, be sure to observe how team members interact with the residents. Do they seem to know one another well? Take note of how neighbors interact, what events are happening, and how the food looks. These observations can tell you a lot about the culture of the community.
What's the Best Way to Understand Life There?
One tour won't necessarily give you all the information you need to make your best decision. Ask if you can attend a meal or event at the community after your initial tour. This extra visit or two can help you know if that particular community is right for you.
Having the conversation about senior living
Whether you're advocating for your own senior living move or you think it's the best option for your aging family member, the subject can be difficult to broach. We have tips to make your conversation easier.
Gather the Facts
Bringing up senior living can feel like a very emotional topic, but it doesn't have to be. Instead, a productive conversation starts with a bit of fact-finding. Jot down a list of the reasons you think senior living is the next best step, citing specific examples of how senior living could fill in any needs and care gaps at home.
When you open the conversation, draw a connection between enhanced lifestyle, quality of life, and senior living. Of course, it might take more than one conversation to get everyone on the same page, and that's okay too.
Listen to Understand
Senior living conversations are most productive when everyone chooses to listen more than talk. Listen for any objections and the reason behind them, as well as for any underlying feelings. Be flexible and willing to table the conversation for another time if emotions run too high or if the talk is creating defensiveness or anger. You can always come back to it later.
CHECK OUT CEDARHURST'S GUIDE ON TALKING TO A PARENT ABOUT SENIOR LIVING FOR MORE INFORMATION
Before the Move
As you prepare for your move, you might find yourself feeling overwhelmed with all the packing, organizing, and rightsizing. Don't tackle this alone! Ask a few family members to help out or consider hiring a professional who is experienced with senior moves.
Be sure you are staying in communication with your senior living community as well. You'll be able to coordinate the moving day logistics as well as get vetted recommendations for moving companies or other professionals who will make the transition as smooth as possible.
On Moving Day
Moving day is busy, just like any major move. However, when you move to senior living, rest assured that there is an entire experienced team ready to make the process easy for you. You can choose to supervise, or you might prefer to begin experiencing life in your new home by attending an event, grabbing a meal with family members, or exploring campus while others handle the moving details for you.
CHECK OUT OUR ULTIMATE MOVE-IN GUIDE FOR MORE INFORMATION
Financial considerations & financial planning
Does senior living fit into your financial plans? Many adults are pleasantly surprised to realize it does.
Compare the Costs
Many senior living communities bill a monthly fee that covers more than just rent and utilities. A monthly fee also includes access to amenities like the community's swimming pool or fitness center, as well as a flexible dining plan and campus events.
Take time to compare a monthly fee to how much you are currently spending while living at home. Write down your monthly bills, from your mortgage payment and your landscaping costs to your grocery bills and gym membership. Then, compare that amount to a senior living monthly fee that includes all of those expenses already.
Talk to the Experts
Make an appointment with your financial advisor and other professionals who can guide you in your senior living decision. You can also inquire about other ways to offset costs, such as VA benefits or insurance.
Learn More with CEDARHURST'S COMPLETE GUIDE TO FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR SENIOR LIVING
How Cedarhurst staff can help
Our team members are committed to serving adults throughout the cities and towns we love, not just our residents. We are here to help you along your senior living journey.
Experience Counts
Everyone's journey to senior living is different, which means it's essential to find experts who can understand your situation and offer recommendations. At Cedarhurst, our team members are ready to help by answering your questions, talking candidly about financing, or simply offering next steps.
We have decades of experience working with seniors and their family members, and we've learned that listening allows us to understand the challenges they face so we can create innovative solutions. Our Pair to Prepare™ program and Cedarhurst Promise™ are just two programs that came from carefully listening to those we serve.
Let Us Help
Browse our resource library, full of blogs and guides written by our experts, or call us with more more specific inquiries. We're here to help whenever and wherever you need it.
