Senior living provides a maintenance-free lifestyle that is about your health and well-being every day. If you’re looking for your future home or searching on behalf of a loved one, you’ve likely encountered assisted living communities.
This level of care is a great way to support seniors who need some extra help but still allow them to lead an independent and vibrant life. Learn more about who qualifies for assisted living and if this would be a good fit for you or your loved one.
Qualifications for Assisted Living
Are you or a loved one interested in life at an assisted living community? These neighborhoods are designed to help residents stay as autonomous as possible while getting the assistance they need to live a fulfilling and vibrant life.
Part of life in assisted living is having access to all the amenities and services that enhance quality of life. In addition to health services, there are ways for you or your loved one to maintain wellness.
From fitness classes to yoga and tai chi, a library, and engaging social programming, an assisted living community provides support, care, and an engaging lifestyle for all residents.
If you’re wondering if your loved one qualifies for assisted living services, they will likely need to meet the following requirements:
Requires Assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
Activities of daily living or ADLs are basic daily activities that we do each and every day to function. This includes:
- Bathing and grooming, like brushing hair and teeth
- Dressing
- Eating
- Ambulating (mobility)
Residents in assisted living can receive assistance with all types of ADLs, a combination of some, or one in particular – it all depends on their abilities and personalized plan.
For instance, if you’re caring for a loved one, you may know that they will need help with bathing, dressing, and taking care of personal hygiene but are able to get out of bed and walk without any issue; then, the care plan will reflect that they can ambulate on their own.
Stable Health Condition
Your loved one will need to be in a stable health condition to qualify for assisted living. If they do have any chronic health issues, they need to have medication or a plan in place to manage them.
Proper Age Range
While some assisted living communities may allow older adults as young as 55, some, including Wyndemere, have age restrictions that require an older adult to be at least 62 years old.
Who Doesn’t Qualify for Assisted Living
There are significant markers that signal someone wouldn’t be able to live a high-quality life in assisted living. Those who don’t qualify for assisted living could be included in one of the following categories:
Requires Around-the-Clock Care
When seniors need care 24/7, they likely need a higher level of care. Skilled nursing services offer residents a secure environment where health care professionals can provide them with the around-the-clock care they need.
When such a high level of care is needed, a nursing home may be the option to look into. At Wyndemere, skilled nursing is provided in our Wynscape neighborhood. Here, compassionate licensed professionals will provide your loved one with around-the-clock care and feel at home.
Seniors Who Are Bedridden
This is a different situation from an older adult who needs help moving safely from one place to another, as they’re still able to walk. Assisted living regulations require you to be able to safely exit the building in case of an emergency.
If your loved one is bedridden, then a higher level of care, like skilled nursing, would be able to meet your loved one’s medical needs.
Requires Memory Care
If your loved one has received a dementia diagnosis or is in the progressive stages of dementia, this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re disqualified from assisted living. Older adults in the early stages of dementia can continue to live in assisted living for some time.
However, if they require specialized care due to dementia or other memory impairments, where they have monitoring and assistance throughout the day, then they will likely need memory care. Specialized memory care includes:
- Medication administration
- Meal preparation by a chef
- Security
- Personal care services
- Social activities and programming designed for those with dementia
Moving to memory care is often a clinical decision in which your loved one’s doctor will make the recommendation.
The Westbridge neighborhood at Wyndemere offers both memory care and assisted living services. If your loved one does need memory care, Westbridge will provide your loved one with the specialized care they need so they live an engaging, high-quality life.
Requirements To Meet After Qualifying
While your loved one may meet the necessary requirements for assisted living, the community may do further assessments to ensure that your loved one will thrive in assisted living.
Physical Assessment
A physical will show your loved one’s health condition and help determine if assisted living would be the best level of care for them. The community may also examine your loved one’s medical history to determine if assisted living is the best fit.
ADL Assessment
In order to create a personalized health plan for your loved one, the community will need to know what ADL support they need. It’s equally important to know which areas your loved one can do on their own so they can stay as independent as possible.
Get Peace of Mind at Wyndemere
Wyndemere offers independent living residents premier senior living with the comfort of knowing that we can meet their health care needs within the community through the Lifecare Choice program.
Lifecare has numerous benefits, like knowing if and when your needs change, access to health care is right at your fingertips, and your monthly fee will stay the same. Additionally, you can opt for a service plan where you pay for the health services you use.
Wyndemere provides the following:
- Independent Living
- Assisted living
- Memory care
- Skilled nursing
- Rehabilitation
If you think your loved one is ready for assisted living, give us a call at 630-755-5006 to learn more about how we can help.
