Investigating the Terminology of Senior Living
Part I
It’s likely that as you decide to investigate senior living for yourself or a loved one, the associated terminology will be confusing. It’s vernacular, much of which you might not come across in typical everyday life. Yet, at the time you do start the process of researching senior living, the jargon is critical to understand.
It’s important to know the terminology for two major reasons.
First, it will help you to better understand your options and all of the different components thereof in order to ultimately be able to make an informed decision that is right for you or your loved one. There are many different types of senior living communities, amenities, features, and services that you’ll want to know about.
A less apparent reason for understanding the terminology is that the lingo used in past generations is reflective of those time periods, but not the vibrant, engaging senior living offerings of today. Consequently, the words used in the past often suggest one’s negative impression or experience rather than today’s reality.
Types of Senior Living
There are a number of different types of senior living options, and it’s essential to understand what differentiates them. They include the following.
- 55+ community or Active Adult -an age-restricted multi-unit residential community for seniors able to care for themselves. These typically do not provide the amenities or services that senior living communities offer.
- Assisted living-this is often used as an umbrella term for senior living. It is, in fact, an important but not the exclusive type of senior living option. Assisted living is a valuable offering for individuals who benefit from assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs). Assisted living provides residences, meals, transportation, housekeeping, access to programs and opportunities for socialization. In addition, other services such as medication set-up and management, assistance in getting to and from activities and dining areas as well as daily check-ins may also be available. Assisted living is available in different types of communities, including stand-alone, combination assisted living and memory support, or as part of a continuing care retirement community (CCRC), which provides multiple levels of care.
An important consideration about the optimum assisted living programs is that they’re developed so that residents receive the assistance they need in order to be able to continue an independent and vibrant lifestyle.
- Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC)-also known as a Life Plan Community- a CCRC offers independent living, with options to access increased assistance and support if and when needed, many times without having to leave one’s community. CCRCs often provide independent living, assisted living, memory care, rehabilitation, and skilled nursing.
- Equity model-resident members benefit from individual ownership of their residence, creating an investment in their future. As owners, they realize market value, have an impact on the community and how it operates, and can decorate however they’d like; all while enjoying the amenities of the upscale senior living community.
- Independent living-for seniors able to live independently and wanting opportunities to truly enjoy their golden years. Not only do residents in the best independent living communities not give up independence, but they also actually gain the chance to live their lives more freely. With flexible dining programs, maintenance, housekeeping, and security all provided, residents are freed from the burdens of home ownership. On-site amenities often include pools, fitness centers, libraries, salons, and more, so while residents can come and go as they please, they often have everything they want within steps of their residence. Programming such as lifelong learning, fitness classes, performing arts, and more help promote an engaging lifestyle.
Types of residences vary per community and may include apartments, freestanding cottages, townhomes, flats, etc.
- Life Care Community-also, also known as a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) provides independent living, assisted living, memory care, rehabilitation, and skilled nursing. Life Care Communities may be rental or require the payment of an entrance fee, and thus provide access to increased levels of care should their needs change.
- Memory care or memory support-specialized services for residents of senior living communities with cognitive impairment in a safe and structured environment. Not all memory care providers are the same. The best memory support and memory care communities offer person-centered programs focusing on residents’ individual interests and abilities.
- Nursing home- an umbrella term used inaccurately to describe all residential communities for seniors. Nursing homes, in reality, are specifically for seniors unable to care for themselves and require full-time monitoring and medical assistance but not hospitalization. Also known as skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), nursing homes provide skilled health and personal care, three meals/day, 24-hour supervision, planned programming, assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), and rehabilitation.
- Rental senior living communities-residents pay a monthly fee rather than committing to a substantial upfront investment, such as buy-in communities. Rental senior living communities may or may not offer continuing levels of care.
- Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs)- also known as nursing homes- are for seniors unable to care for themselves, requiring full-time monitoring and medical assistance but not hospitalization. Skilled nursing, which is a level of care in a CCRC, provides health and personal support, three meals/day, 24-hour supervision, planned programming, assistance with activities of daily living, and rehabilitation.
At Brightmore of Sout Charlotte, through the services we offer, we check a lot of the terminology boxes: assisted living, continuing care retirement community, independent living, memory support/care, rehabilitation, and rental community, just to name a few.