The last several weeks, we have been discussing getting care assistance in your own home. Since you have raised your family in your home and spent most of your adult life there, you had planned on living there until you die. However, reality has set in.
Although you can get along ok, things are not as easy as they used to be. You cannot climb up that ladder anymore to clear the leaves out of the gutters. Even simple chores like dusting take much longer than they used to or just do not get done.
Simple maintenance items like dripping faucets or burned out light bulbs are not being addressed. You may not be able to reach or carry everything from your cupboards. Negotiating the staircases upstairs or downstairs is a chore. The cost of maintaining your household has gone up. There are taxes, insurance, utilities and repairs. Your income, especially Social Security, has not kept up with your expenses.
You know that you have to move someplace a little smaller and which is easier to maintain. What are your options? You have thought about a condominium where the exterior is maintained by an association. However you would still have the expenses of that exterior maintenance through association dues and the expenses of home ownership like taxes, insurance and utilities. Also with most condominiums, you are responsible for maintaining the interior of the home, including plumbing, electrical, heating, air conditioning and general decorating. It is still going to be a time consuming hassle and expense.
You could just move to an apartment complex. However you just do not want to deal with kids yelling and screaming all the time, the stairways, constant activity due to tenant work schedules and other issues related to apartment complexes that serve all ages. You still have lots of options to owning your home. There are a variety of independent and assisted living facilities out there that could meet your needs and that cater specifically to seniors.
There are independent senior living facilities that provide no assistance and there are assisted living facilities that offer a range of services. There are also adult foster care homes and homes for the aged, but that will be the topic of another column.
The line has really blurred between independent and assisted living facilities. Most independent living facilities nowadays allow for some sort of assistance that is either provided through the facilities themselves or contracted through home care agencies. Assisted living facilities and many independent living facilities offer meals and housekeeping services. There are many facilities that offer an entire range of services from independent to full assistance.
When choosing a facility, investigate the services that the facility offers or does not offer. What are the services provided and how much do they cost? Do you want housekeeping and meal service? Do you need bathing, dressing or medication assistance? Some facilities offer an all-inclusive price depending on the level of service. Other facilities have an a la carte menu from which you can pick and choose the services you want. You only pay for the services that you utilize.
Most of the senior living facilities have accessible apartments, but if you have any special needs make sure the facility has what you require. It is also important to consider the social activities of the facility, Many facilities offer regular activities, games, puzzles, exercising, movies, speakers, etc. Most of the facilities offer common or group areas, lounges and/or private rooms so that if you are having a birthday party or other family get together, you have a place to hold it. Some facilities have quiet reading areas.
If you want to do your own cooking, do the apartments have a full kitchen? Some apartments only have a kitchenette with a small refrigerator and microwave because the facility provides meal services. If the facility does offer meal services, do you have any special dietary needs or food allergies and can the facility accommodate those requirements?
Some facilities have licensed nurses or other medical personnel on staff or through a service 24 hours a day, while others do not. Some facilities provide emergency pull cords and/or offer emergency pendants or wristbands that you can wear so in case of a fall or an emergency, care can be summoned immediately.
If you have a long-term care policy, you should investigate which facility may be able to provide assistance and be paid through that long-term care policy. Many long-term care policies, especially the older ones, will only pay for care in licensed facilities. Assisted living facilities are generally not required to be licensed. However, some assisted living facilities have been licensed as adult foster care facilities so they can receive payments for the assistance from these long-term care policies.
If you are still driving, do you want a carport so that in the winter time you do not have to shovel snow off your car? If you do not drive, does the facility provide regular transportation to restaurants, shopping centers, banks and other outings or are they near a bus line? If the facility is near a Blue Water Area Transit bus line or is serviced by Dial-A-Ride, for 40 cents you can go anywhere the buses go.
If you take the Blue Water Area Transit I-94 Express, you can use your Blue Water transfer to ride up to two SMART fixed route buses – it’s valid for your ride on Route 560, then on one other bus. On certain days and times SMART Route 560 will go to downtown Detroit, including the Detroit Medical Center, the VA Hospital and the Rosa Parks Transit Center. If you then transfer at the Transit Center to SMART Route 210 and then 280, you could take the bus from Port Huron all the way to Metro Airport for only an additional fare of 50 cents to $2.00.
So what do these independent and assisted living facilities cost? At one end of the spectrum, you could have an apartment in an independent senior facility that does not provide meal services. These apartments have full kitchens. You are responsible for providing your own meals, doing your own laundry and cleaning your apartment. Depending on size, most of these apartments go for under $1,000 per month, some for much less. Some facilities have a sliding scale in which your rent is based upon a percentage of your income.
The last time I checked, you could get the smallest studio apartment at one of the independent living facilities in our area with meal service for around $1,000 per month. These independent living facilities with meal service can go up to about $3,000 per month depending on facility location, apartment size and facility services and amenities. For assisted living, you just add on the monthly cost of assistance to the independent living facility cost. The cost for assisted care can go over $4,000 per month for full assisted care.
As you can see, you do not have to stay in your big house with its taxes, insurance, utilities and all the responsibilities of upkeep, maintenance and dusting. You have many options depending upon your situation and your budget. You decide.
By: Matthew M. Wallace, CPA, JD
Published edited May 1st, 2016 in The Times Herald newspaper, Port Huron, Michigan as: Housing Options Numerous