With Americans living longer than previous generations, assisted living for married couples is a growing demand, which many senior care communities are only beginning to address. And if one partner requires a different level or type of care than the other, the situation can be even more difficult to plan for and arrange.
There are a number of concerns that couples and family members have when deciding upon the best assisted living solution for aging married couples. When searching for an assisted living situation that’s appropriate for a couple, some key things to consider include:
• Choose a community that charges on an individual basis, and only for the services needed. This is especially important if one partner has far greater needs than the other. Some senior communities employ a tiered pricing structure with bundled services; other pricing systems charge on an all-inclusive, a la carte, or fee-for-service basis.
• Ask if there are currently other married couples living at the community, and what special services and activities (if any) are offered to resident couples.
• When one partner has significantly greater needs than the other, select a community that can properly assist the partner with the greatest needs.
• Schedule an initial assessment for both partners in order to assess needs; be sure the community you choose also conducts regular follow-up assessments from there, preferably every six months if not sooner.
• Look for a community that offers a range of activities enjoyed and/or required by each married partner.
• If there are memory care or other health reasons that require married partners to be in separate places, or will in the foreseeable future, choose a community that contains an assisted living unit and a memory care unit or skilled nursing unit. Married partners should be able to freely visit one another at the two different locations.
Eddy Senior Living accommodates married seniors at its communities
To learn more about our various assisted living and enriched housing communities, and the options available for our residents, please use our convenient information request form, or call us at (518) 280-8385 to speak with one of our helpful senior living specialists.