Interesting. Almost sounds like an assistive Golden Girls place.
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The friend said that the retired chef made great food and let visiting loved ones partake. The mom was able to stay in the neighborhoodāfriend and the grandson lived in same neighborhood and could easily visit. It was also near the church friend and mom had long attended, so easy for folks to visit from church too. The minister recommended the place to the friend and mom.
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We had a couple of parents go the Family Care home route- vastly less expensive than skilled nursing and the regular 6:1 ratio with live caregivers meant there was a good chance the caregivers would remember some of the small preferences that make life better- who likes iced water and who prefers room temperature, etc.
They were in a fairly expensive area & IIR, SNF was about $9-10k and the FCH was maybe $3500-$5k, so a big savings with more personalized care.
Definitely NOT a choice for active busy retirees, more an option for those needing 24/7 care.
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We live in a fairly expensive area but Iām fairly certain that the costs of family health care home were significantly lower what my folks paid for CCRC. They had huge 7 figure buy-in plus had to pay $7000 every month plus $6000/week for 24/7 companions. I believe the monthly charge for a family care home in my community ranges between $6500-12,500/month.
We never priced other options because dad said the CCRC they signed up for was that they wanted.
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I am guessing that many of these communities cited with very high entry fees and monthly payments, must have had less expensive options. Is this the case?
ps I am finally seeing a financial advantage to not having a spouse- one bedroom or even studio is fine with me!
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My dad and his wife are in a one-bedroom AL. Their monthly cost includes their two different care-level fees, but they are not charged for double occupancy.
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We have three CCRCs in my immediate area. All offer independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled care. I have only looked at costs for one. For what is termed a āvillaā the buy-in is around 600k. Interestingly, the buy in for a two bedroom apartment in the nicest building is close to the same. There is a scale for how much money is returned to the estate and you decide that; if Iām recalling correctly you can receive up to 90% of your buy-in back. The waitlists are long. To get on the list, itās a $1000 deposit. Monthly fees are around $5k for two for the independent living. These are no-frills CCRCs. Activities, meals and shuttle service. All have PT on site and a gym/pool. I think I would lose my mind living in one of them. 
My aunt lived in a family home. She had exhausted her funds and lived in subsidized housing until she couldnāt live there any longer. My mom got her settled and she lived with 8 other women. Meals and assisted with medication and ADLs were provided. It was the happiest sheād been in a long time. Her costs were covered by auxiliary grant and I canāt recall exactly how that worked, but it took a lot of stress off of my mother.
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At this point, no - we are not at all sure we want to stay in the town where we live. Probably not, since there is nothing holding us here now that our kids moved away. One thing we have done, however, is agree to cremation so even a headstone doesnāt hold us here lol (I am very practical, so apologies to anyone who doesnāt like my gallows humor).
We have a two story house (three if you include the basement) and our current thinking is to stay here. The motto of our primary care doctor is āuse it or lose it,ā so until circumstances dictate otherwise we will stay put. If we need to move, we will leave the area and maybe get a free-standing townhome in an HOA community. I know a lot of people hate HOAs, but I can see that being a blessing in old age against awful neighbors.
The thing that DOES appeal to me about these communities is, frankly, the lack of younger people. No random fireworks, revving cars, etc. I guess one could encounter bad dog owners, but one would think the community would police that a bit.
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My dad pays his 24/7 caregivers about $30/hour. LTC insurance pays for about 40% of it, but itās still a lot of money. Iām so thankful he can afford it.
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@ChoatieMom just a joke.
Actually many communities do charge extra for another occupant, but I was just referring to what size of unit is comfortable.
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With 2 people you usually have two SS checks (and maybe even two pensions). The trick of course is to find a solution where a surviving spouse is able to afford the chosen solution once the other has died.
The two incomes and relative wealth of couples seems to be the reason that brochures and videos in promotions for these communities tend toward couples-along with kayaks!
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For the CCRC my folks lived in, there were studios, 1 bedrooms, 2 bedrooms, and 2 bedrooms plus den for independent living. It was good they had a 2 bedroom for the many months we took turns sleeping over at momās before we hired 24/7 companions. Yes, the smaller units were lower buy in and monthly fees. Itās still a lot of $$$$ and to me too much like HS where you have the popular kids and the others. My folks did NOT socialize, though most of the people are in same country club as them. My older sis and her H want to go thereātheyād be popular and also same country club so it should work for them.
For AL it was all studios. For Skilled nursing, it was shared rooms We didnāt tour memory care nor convalescent home. When you have higher levels of care than IL, there are staff that come and check āperiodicallyā and if you press help button they will come eventually (or so we were told).
We just bought a 2 bedroom condo (all 1 level) in an area with walkability score of 95 in downtown Honolulu. If we canāt handle our home, we could move there. We currently have a property manager and a tenant.
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I have a question I honestly cannot wrap my head around. If people want walkability places then are stairs that hard?
My in-laws are a great example - they can walk on flat surfaces for miles but stairs and inclines are a no go. MIL because of cardiac issues and FIL because of back and leg problems.
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I canāt speak for everyone of course, but my sense is that a walkable down town is a bonus - something you can take advantage of when you want to.
Stairs and other in-home construction features are aspects you must deal with every single day to navigate daily activities. If you arenāt up to stairs for a few weeks it can make a huge difference in your life in a two story home.
But you can easily forego the cute downtown until feeling better.
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Stairs and inclines are NOT the same as level surfaces for people with knee and breathing issues. Walking on level surfaces is much easier for these issues than dealing with going up and/or down stairs. Thereās also increased risk of falling with stairs and more harm if one falls down stairs than on a level surface
Walkability means you donāt always need to get into a vehicle to get things or food or ā¦..
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I would have said ānoā a year ago, but now at 63 I have ankle and knee issues all of a sudden (I work out and have gotten my weight down to where it should be). I didnāt like stairs for many months. Iām OK on them now, but the experience helped me understand why older people prefer one-story houses.
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There are organizations that help match the patient/resident with different options and can quote prices and details. Often they do NOT charge as they are paid by the places which people decide to use/move to. In our state, one such organization is Caresift.
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When D had an occupational therapy friend sleep over, the friend remarked that our house is pretty accessible (even though hallways & doorways are slightly narrow and thresholds are a bit tall). Even when I had a broken fibula I was able to get around ok except our shower was too small so we drove to my brotherās newly remodeled placeācustom shower with no walls and a bench and hand held shower head. (Itās like a spa.). His home is under 5 miles away.
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