According to AARP’s new Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Scorecard, South Carolina was ranked 49th overall among the states. The LTSS ranks states based on the issues affecting older adults and people with disabilities, including accessible personal care.
What this means for seniors is that they need to be especially careful when shopping around for senior living options in SC. Not every community or its residents will receive the kind of funding and support they require.
Here are seven tips when looking for assisted living in Summerville, SC.
1. Evaluate Your Needs and Priorities
The first step is to evaluate the needs of the person looking for retirement communities. Not all communities offer the same levels of care as each other.
While nursing homes provide a certain level of medical care, a person in an assisted living community might only need help cleaning up around the house or cooking meals.
Does your loved one need assistance with bathing, dressing, or eating? Do they have problems with their memory? These are factors to consider when shopping around.
Another important aspect is what amenities are offered. Your loved one might want to live in an area with a professional beauty salon or restaurant-style dining.
2. Consider Senior Care Services Provided
Different assisted living communities provide varying levels of care. You should also expect those with more comprehensive services to cost more than those without.
Some of the services to look for include:
- Housekeeping
- Meal preparation
- Organized social activities
- Community outreach
- Physical therapy
- Medication management
Most retirement communities will offer the basics, like housekeeping. The more specialized care options will depend on whether or not the community offers more private services with medical support.
Ideally, you should find a community that provides comprehensive services to accommodate changing health conditions. If your loved one is in the early stages of dementia, make sure to research communities that offer memory care.
3. Visit Elderly Care Communities in Person
Communities like nursing homes in Summerville are a mixed bag, especially if you only look at their online presence. It’s important to take the time to visit them in person so you can get a good look at both the residents and the staff.
When you first visit, take a look at the level of cleanliness and the behavior of the staff. Assess the overall atmosphere, including the things that go unmentioned.
Do the residents seem happy and active? Are the public areas clean and well-organized? How do you feel as a guest walking into this community?
The biggest benefit of living in an assisted living community is that residents should feel like they’re at home. You need to be able to picture your loved one living there comfortably.
Try to engage with the staff and current residents to get an inside perspective on what it’s like to live there.
4. Look at Safety and Accessibility Features
Safety is very important when it comes to selecting an elderly care community. This is especially true if your loved one has some kind of health condition or mobility issues that require monitoring.
Take note of your loved one’s disabilities so you can mention them to staff.
If you’ve visited the community, make sure to look for any safety features such as handrails, wheelchair ramps, and accessible bathrooms. Look in each apartment for the same. If there aren’t any suitable accommodations, ask if they can install them.
Each community should have safety protocols set up for emergencies or situations that require medical care. You may also want to see what kind of security measures they have in place to protect residents or keep those with dementia from wandering off.
5. Review Activity and Social Programs
One of the benefits of assisted living is access to a variety of activities and social programs. These events and outings are essential to building up a sense of community and giving residents something fun to do.
A well-rounded community will offer activities such as fitness classes, book clubs, and cultural trips around the area. These ensure that your loved one won’t be stuck in their apartment all day, feeling lonely and depressed.
To gauge how much the community puts into these events, take a look at their social pages and website. They should have some kind of calendar available online or promotional content about upcoming concerts or dances.
You can also ask current residents about recent events and how they liked them.
6. Understand Financial Considerations
The cost of assisted living is something that heavily influence the decision for some families. Not every individual can afford the communities with the most amenities and the best staff-to-resident ratio.
Expect communities with a higher level of care and more services to cost more. Independent and assisted living communities will cost less than nursing homes. However, that doesn’t mean you need to settle for the cheapest option in town.
Focus on the community’s atmosphere and where it’s located. Your loved one may prefer moving to somewhere outside of the city where there’s fresher air and a small-town feel.
7. Find Reviews and Ask for Recommendations
The best advice you can get is to look at reviews and recommendations. Ask friends, family members, and trusted healthcare providers if they know of any community that meets your needs and budget. Their personal experiences could help influence your decision.
Read online reviews to get another point of view. See what positive and negative things other families have written about communities you’re interested in.
A good tip is to focus more on the two-, three-, and four-star reviews. These tend to provide more detailed information than the overly positive or negative ones.
Find Assisted Living in Summerville, SC
Moving your loved one into assisted living is a big enough decision. The last thing you want is to move them into the wrong one and find out months later that it wasn’t the paradise you expected.
TerraBella Summerville provides assisted living in Summerville, SC for seniors in need of help and comfortable living. Our community offers access to a wellness center, pet-friendly homes, and much more.
Reach out to learn more about our community and to schedule a visit.
