Do you have a parent or loved one that is struggling to either live on their own, or you are struggling to care for them yourself? If so, you're likely looking into senior housing options. However, there are many different types of senior housing available, and it is important to pick the one that meets their needs. 

Independent Housing

If your loved one is still able to do many things on their own, they may be interested in independent senior housing. This typically involves them living in an apartment-style home in a senior housing facility, where the person is still living fairly independently. This still allows them to have independence, but gives them help with things like managing medication, cooking meals, and things of that nature. What is nice about independent housing is that they still offer plenty of ways for your loved one to stay active. The facility may offer community areas where they can hang out with other people, organized outings that they can go on, and even a formal dining hall to have meals with others.

Assisted Living Housing

What makes assisted living housing different is the level of care that your loved one will receive. Your loved one will typically have a single room with a bathroom, and much more direct care from others to help with daily tasks.  The expectation is that they need more help doing tasks that would normally be done on their own, which can include getting dressed, helping with the bathroom, and things of that nature.

Assisted living housing is where you will also start to see facilities with memory care options. This would be for a loved one that is experiencing problems with Alzheimer's and needs a special level of care for their condition. This can include having the facility locked down so that they do not wander outside, special therapy sessions in-house to work on their memory-related issues, and just an overall greater knowledge of what is involved to care for someone with this type of problem.

Skilled Nursing Facility

One of the differences with a skilled nursing facility is that it can be for either long or short term, depending on the needs of your loved one. This can be a great option for those people that are going through rehabilitation, or simply need more attention due to their daily needs. For example, your loved one may need help with speech therapy, or help learning how to walk again. 

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