What to look for... and what to look OUT for when comparing Senior Care and Living Options

What's the deal with all those fees charged by most assisted living companies? What are Assessment fees, Application fees, Entry fees, and Deposit Fees?

An assessment or application fee is something a lot of assisted living companies charge just to have their staff take time to visit with you, and fill out paperwork. This fee ranges from $250 - $1,000, and is usually non-refundable and doesn't count as credit against any other charges, like the first month's payment.

An entry fee is an up-front fee some assisted living companies charge just for the "privilege" of moving into their building. This is in addition to all other charges.

An deposit fee is something most assisted living companies use when everyone agrees that it's time to move in. Most deposit fees are non-refundable - even if for some reason you don't move in! In addition, most deposit fees don't count as a credit toward your first month's payment.

Are all of these fees necessary?... No.

Do all assisted living companies charge these fees? No. You should choose an assisted living company that either doesn't charge these fees at all, or if they do charge them, make sure they are fully refundable and count as a credit against your first month's payment.

How Can You Reduce Your Aggravation And Frustration With Unexpected Costs For Senior Living And Care?

Make sure everything's included in the price. Most assisted living companies tell you about a "low base price", and then charge you extra for every little thing that's needed.

Some companies include everything in the price, like:

• All assisted living services and care for your parent or loved one.
• All real estate expenses including real estate taxes, mortgage payment, insurance, maintenance, and utilities (including cable or digital TV).
• All food, meals, snacks. . . everything.

Beware! Most other companies will charge you extra for each assisted living service and care. For example. . . Watch out for "point systems", where you're charged "a point" for everything you need.

You'll find that if everything's not included in the price, you could expect to pay between $800 and $1,200 more per month than you were told.

Make sure you get a written promise that everything's included in the price and lock that price in for at least six months. If the assisted living company isn't willing to do this for you, you should seriously consider another choice.

Reputable assisted living companies will guarantee that everything's included in the price and that they'll stand by the price they tell you.

What's The Best And Easiest Way To Find Out If You'll Be Getting The Best In Senior Care And Living?

Simple. Talk to family and friends of folks who are already getting the benefits of assisted living. You should also talk to doctors and others in the medical community who know about assisted living and which companies are providing the best service in the community. Ask for a list of references (and check them out) before you make a decision.

What's the Easiest Way to Reduce Aggravation and Frustration with Senior Care and Living Options?

To reduce aggravation and frustration with senior care and living options, plan ahead. Talk with your parent, spouse or other family member about the variety of senior options out there and what they expect before a stressful situation arises unexpectedly. Tour a few businesses with different services and ask about the services provided and rates. Discuss pros and cons of each facility with your family member.

What Senior Care and Living Choices Are Out There?

Although it seems complicated, there are really only four choices for senior care and living needs.

1. Assisted Living. All private rooms and 24 hour care in a home-like setting. Pros and cons: Obviously, since we're in the assisted living business, we favor assisted living as the preferred choice. Assisted living offers significant advantages over institutional and nursing home care, including:
   • People enjoy a higher quality life style. They are generally physically and psychologically healthier.
   • Folks are more independent and able to become more active and involved with their fellow residents in what becomes a small community.
   • Residential assisted living is more cost effective.
   • Residents receive more attention because there are more caregivers per resident.
   • The draw back to assisted living is that if a person suffers a serious medical setback, the person may have to go to the nursing home if the setback is permanent.
2. Independent Senior Apartments.
   • Pros: inexpensive.
   • Cons: no medical or other services for seniors.
3. Nursing Home. the traditional institutional nursing home.
   • Pros: skilled nursing care.
   • Cons: institutional, little or no privacy, expensive.
4. Home Health Care
5. Pros: can stay in home
6. Cons: expensive - between $20-$100 per hour, plus you still have to pay real estate taxes, mortgage, insurance, maintenance, utilities, etc.

How Much Should You Pay?

Independent Senior Apartment: $750-$2,000 per month.

Assisted Living: starting at less than than $2,500 a month for a private room with everything included.

Nursing Home: between $2,900 and $4,300 a month for a shared (not private) room.

Home Health Care: from $75-$150 per day depending on hourly rate. Plus you still have to pay all costs of owning the home, like real estate taxes, insurance, maintenance, and utilities.

Conclusion

Hopefully we've answered your questions in a simple and straight forward way. We'd be glad to answer any other questions you have or help you gather the necessary information before you make a decision.

We've been through this process ourselves with our own family members. So we know it's really important to try to stay calm and realize this process is often a necessary part of life.