What’s Affordable Senior Care and Housing? Part 2
Mar
29
Written by:
3/29/2010 3:07 PM
Richard Peck delves into the changing face of long-term care and explores some less-expensive senior housing options.
Long-term care as we know it is simply too expensive to sustain—the point of my previous blog on why so many of us appear to be headed for the poorhouse in old age. So what can be done about it? Well, don’t look now, but long-term care is already changing before our very eyes; signs are everywhere. And they’re nothing but good news for people who just want to age at home.
Start with the home itself. We’ve had occasion in this blog to describe new communications technologies making home much more age-friendly (“Aging-at-Home Tech: Ready for Prime Time?”)—for example, counting trips to the refrigerator and bathroom, and sounding the alarm when behavior out of the ordinary occurs. Costing around $100-200 a month, these systems amount to a fraction of the thousands needed for assisted living or skilled nursing. They are still in their very early stages, but they’re steadily catching on for the peace of mind they can provide home-dwellers and their families.
Another step toward maintaining safe, inexpensive residence at home is a services-at-home model called Beacon Hill Village (BHV). Started in the famous Boston neighborhood of that name some five years ago, BHV has since appeared in various forms in 19 states and the District of Columbia. The basic idea is this: for a very small annual payment, people are able to stay in their urban apartments and receive a full-range of support services screened and administered by a community board. Everything from home repair/upgrades to dog-walking, from companion visits to personal shopping are provided to people at home. At a rate of $600-800 a year per individual or couple, this is extremely inexpensive—so much so that there is clearly an outside resource helping out. As it turns out, resources come from the more well-heeled residents of the community, who chip in with donations and grants. In the community called Capitol Hill Village in Washington, DC, the sustaining factor is volunteerism contributing upwards of 80% of services to residents. Whether such a well-meaning, generous and altruistic approach can be sustained for the long term remains questionable. But there’s no question about the popularity of the idea: allowing aging people to continue to live safely and fully engaged in their home communities at relatively small expense.
Another no-frills alternative gaining traction is the affordable senior apartment complex. For example, a planned Canadian project called Golden Vista Suites will offer 400 square foot studio suites for about $750 a month; this includes appliances, heat and air conditioning, a laundry room, a games area and outdoor garden. Utilities (TV, telephone, water) are extra. The new complex, scheduled to open this summer, is located near a busy, active commercial district within reasonable walking or minor transport distance for movement-impaired elderly. Along with government-supported home care for basic medical needs, this is a case of giving aging residents just what they need and no more to survive and live decently at an affordable cost.
Still another concept helping people to stay home no matter what (or almost so) is construction of new senior wellness centers to serve as neighborhood anchors. The exemplar of this is the City of Rogers (Arkansas) Adult Wellness Center, which opened recently and attracts 900-1,300 visits a day from people over age 50 to its fitness equipment and public meeting areas. A large expansion of this idea will be found someday soon in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, which recently did the unheard of: adopting a tax increase—specifically a $770 million sales tax increase spread out over the next seven years—to help fund revitalization of its downtown, including several new wellness centers in older neighborhoods. This, like Beacon Hill Village, takes advantage of what’s come to be called the naturally occurring retirement community, or NORC.
NORC is indeed a silly-sounding word—but it and models like it just may be the way out for many of us who are otherwise facing long-term care’s fiscal black hole.
5 comment(s) so far...
Senior living options are available in all areas. I agree that Long-term care can become expensive, as many living situations become costly. Services at home, like in-home care givers or help, can be a cost-saving way to age. I am excited to hear that BHV exists in 19 states, that is very helpful! Having care in your area is a helpful for aging at home, or in a care facility.
By Senior Care on
4/2/2010 1:06 PM
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I personally feel these issues shouldn't just be looked at for those that are retiring. It should be our common goal as a society to ensure that everybody has their basic needs met. If nobody ever has to worry about such things, then age or time in life woulnd't matter, and we'd all be taken care of.Though yes, I know, one thing at a time. I appreciate the article and I thank you for doing some of the research allowing people to find less expensive ways to handle the trials and tribulations of aging. :)
By Steffan Lozinak on
4/12/2010 1:25 PM
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Interesting blog and right down the line my brothers and sister & I chose to help my aging parents. The family coordinating responsiblility to make a safe and familiar enviroment came together with our use of the "Closeby Network System." It enables us to keep in contact, share responsibility for monitoring, and proactively protecting first our father, fighting cancer and then our mother aging carefully at 86. This we did through this wireless technology from our own homes in distant states. The cost was less than one month in a assisted living place and the peace of mind and flexibility has brought what you termed "in the early stages" technology as a vital part of our longterm plan. My father has now died, but my mother still enjoys the freedom of living independent but under the caring eyes of her children - even though they are states away. This technology is in use NOW and its great!
By Sharon Wright on
4/14/2010 8:48 AM
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Compared to nursing homes, my husband and I looks at one of the senior living communities Charlotte has or in the retirement communities Charlotteprovides to settle our retirement days. We want our old days to be filled with the recreation for the mind and body. It's good to know that some people care for the olds by writing articles and posts like this.
By Charlotte Maine on
4/23/2010 8:00 AM
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Adult day care centers are much more affordable than senior living facilities. The prices are reasonable, manageable, and affordable for families in need of finding care for their loved ones.i have found tremendous success with adult day care centers and found one for my loving mom"
By Adult Day Care on
6/18/2010 12:03 PM
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