Long-Term Care Alternatives
Long-Term Care Alternatives: How to Delay the Need for Assisted Living
Assisted living facilities and residential care homes provide much-needed services for seniors across the United States, but these options may not be suitable for everyone. A great deal of seniors would prefer to stay in their own homes as they age.
Feasible alternatives are required — alternatives that support the needs of the individual and the ongoing viability of the senior care system as a whole. Town Square’s vibrant adult day services can help our members and their caregivers thrive as part of a robust support system – contact us to learn more.
What Age Do Most People Go Into Assisted Living?
Generally, the minimum age for entering an assisted living community is retirement age, or 65 years old. However, many individuals are still independent and able to live alone for many years after retirement and typically won’t enter one of these facilities until later. The average age for an individual to move into an assisted living facility was between 75 and 84 in 2019.
What Is the Average Age of People in Nursing Homes?
As healthcare improves and the average lifespan increases over time in the US, people are staying independent and in their own homes for longer. However, the United States population is aging — estimates from 2019 suggested that more than 54 million Americans were aged 65 and above, almost 14 million more than in the 2010 census. This risks putting significant strain on assisted living facilities.
In fact, experts have suggested that almost one million new senior living units will be required between now and 2040 to meet this growing demand.
How Adult Day Care Can Lessen the Need for Nursing Homes
Adult day care options can reduce this burden, easing some of the strain by helping retirees remain in their own homes and retain as much independence as possible for longer. With an adult day care facility, seniors receive the treatment and support they need during the day, at a lower cost as compared to assisted living. Seniors can then return to their own homes or to the homes of family members each evening, a living situation that most think is optimal.
- For seniors who stay with family members, these family members can work, attend college, or take care of other engagements during the day, without worrying about disruption in the senior’s care.
- For seniors who remain in their own homes, they can still receive the regular care and attention required without needing to move into a residential facility.
- These centers do not completely replace assisted living facilities, but instead delay or reduce the need for residential care. This significantly eases the burden placed on residential care centers.
Why Do Seniors Want to Stay in Their Homes?
Seniors may want to remain in their own homes for many reasons, such as:
- Increased feelings of independence
- The ability to spend more time in a familiar environment
- Reduced costs — compared with immediately entering residential care upon retirement
What Makes Seniors Anxious About Long-Term Care?
Many seniors harbor some form of anxiety regarding a move to long-term care. These anxieties may include the following:
- Worries about receiving the proper care schedule — for example, receiving the proper monitoring for physical and cognitive health
- Trauma and preventable illnesses and injuries
- Pain and discomfort
- Psychological disorders and depression
- Increasing costs due to long-term residential care
All of these fears and anxieties can be eased, at least to a reasonable extent, by proper alternatives to full residential care. Adult day care facilities, for example, can help seniors receive the support they need, while allowing them to retain a significant element of independence.
Helping Seniors Receive the Care They Need at Town Square
At Town Square, our unique, reminiscence-focused adult day services and additional resources like coordinated care and caregiver education provide seniors in communities across the country with greater quality of life, whether they’re at our centers or at home. Contact us today to learn more about what Town Square can do for you or a loved one.
