Retirement communities -- have we discussed this?

Parent Cafe
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Check out the fine print. They may not kick you out…but that’s room and board. Most people who outlive their money are spending down to cover the " not included costs". Meds management, assistance eating and bathing, transferring from chair to a walker…these are the ancillary costs which could easily exceed the fixed costs of an actual apartment.

We were running up a HUGE bill on private duty nursing by the end … geriatrician and cardiologist and neurologist said " not needed" but the facility refused to allow her to stay without 1:1 care. The fund to keep someone likely doesn’t cover the big ticket items which is labor, whether an aide, a CNA/LPN, or worst case RN.

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I had a family member at an Aegis facility 20 years ago as noted in an earlier comment; it was not a place I would want to be. And yes, the place pictured in the piece (RIP Baskin & Robbins of my childhood) is certainly fancy on the outside, but again: it’s run for extracting profits. It’s the reason this man is so wealthy—the fees are going to his pockets.

I will note a significant omission in the piece that caught my eye:

One of Aegis’ main competitors, Horizon House, is a similarly luxury private-pay assisted living community. Their union contract with SEIU 775 starts workers with no experience at $24 per hour. A representative from SEIU 775 says that ⅓ of workers start higher than that.

I have had several different family members (of different generations) live at Horizon House from the 1980s to the present day.

Yes, the pay at Horizon House is higher to start, it continues to increase with tenure, and it is a good place to work with multiple benefit programs for employees. This is also one of the reasons the staff turnover at Horizon House is very low (which fosters strong relationships with the residents).

And crucially, Horizon House is a non-profit organization (which is an essential distinction between the two places not mentioned by the writer at all!) where people from all backgrounds and income levels reside as Horizon House is comprised of a mix of studios and 1 and 2 bedroom apartments to fancier “penthouses.”

It is categorically not “a similarly luxury private-pay” community, and it’s apples and oranges to compare a for profit, notoriously predatory company and a non-profit, multi-income community.

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Horizon House has always had a good rep.

One thing I read about Aegis was how they did not want to pay the Seattle minimum wage, but did, of course. The facilities outside the city limits paid lower/hr because they could.

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Work in a retirement community can be challenging. It’s helpful for residents to have long term staff and they’re more likely to stay if they are properly compensated.

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Work in a retirement community can be challenging. It’s helpful for residents to have long term staff and they’re more likely to stay if they are properly compensated.

Absolutely. And it’s not only beneficial from a human relationships standpoint for residents (which is a building block of wellbeing), nearly all other health outcomes are far better too, as longterm staff are equipped to notice changes in a person that short term or temp staff simply can’t.

Those subtle behavioral changes that can indicate an early stage of a UTI, for example. Long term staff can spot those and help get a resident the care they need before that UTI becomes a crisis and a more serious infection.

Paying staff well is always a win-win for both the staff and the residents of a community.

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I feel compelled to say that the grandmom was really happy at the Aegis facility as was her dd. She wasn’t there more than six months, however, when her dh died and she moved to be closer to her dd. She loved the food and activities and really thrived there, leaving in much better shape than when she went in. Eating three squares and having someone oversee her meds made all the difference. Well, and the stimulation from the classes.

I don’t really have a dog in this fight, but the family was really pleased with the care.

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67

This from the article about Aegis makes my blood boil. I would not give a penny to a man like Clark, who clearly puts profit over people. I’m sure his places are great for mom or dad … until they are not. The family had to pay an additional $6,000 per week for 24/7 care that their father never received.

But just to be sure, the Pollock family installed a camera in their father’s room. What Pollock reports he saw was appalling. When he would visit his father, “he would have a thick beard and was dressed in his same clothes day after day.” According to a lawsuit they later filed against Aegis, not only did the video footage show their father was not receiving the round-the-clock care they were now paying for, but he was being ignored while covered in his own urine and feces, kept awake by workers loudly talking and watching television in his room, and left alone without food or help getting outside for fresh air.

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My ILs did pretty well at the Aegis they lived in. Food was pretty good, their apartment was kept clean, the staff liked them. My FIL was very friendly and wanted to know everything about the people, which I’m sure endeared him to many.
The exercise facility was pretty much unused; when he was in there, no one else was.

Management turnover was an issue. Anyone decent was usually gone before too long, and that affected staff as well as residents.

I have to say when there were outbreaks of things like norivirus, and later - Covid, no one was allowed in and they couldn’t leave except for doctor appointments. We were fortunate that my MIL had an appointment and our daughters were able to see her (kind of/sort of) the week before she passed away during Covid times.

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I love the community my parents moved into - it is an Erickson. (2,000 residents.) Lots of apartment options in terms of floorplans, size, etc.

It is not cheap, but it is a beautiful community and well-maintained. Each of the 4 “clubhouses” has 2 dining options - a restaurant and a cafe. One of the buildings also has a quick to-go option.

There is a full CVS, bank, and medical offices in one of the clubhouses. There is a large fitness center with a huge pool. Tennis court and indoor and outdoor pickleball. Plus, each clubhouse use has a small gym (I see people in them). And I think each has a library and salon. My parents’ building has PT (not sure if they all do).

The food is very good, and each restaurant has a different menu that changes every month. And a lot of food with each meal.

There are shuttles around the community and to nearby shopping and to malls about 20 min away. There are organized trips - day trips to museums/shows and travel like cruises, etc (trips costs extra of course, just like in real life).

And the activities? Oh, so many. Sports, woodworking, cards, crafts, birders, singers, exercise, quilting, art, classes thru the community college, activism, pride, welcome committee, politics - anything you can think of.

The staff is amazing (and really patient). All so helpful (one came across my dad carrying his dog and carried the dog for him). Maintenance is to the apt fast when needed.

Rehab, assisted living, and skilled nursing there too.

The biggest plus to me? The social. My mom passed away and I can’t imagine my dad being in his house all alone and having to drive everywhere (and we don’t want him driving much).

It is a college campus, except you don’t have to go to class. (And like college, it is what you make of it.)

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Sounds like they found a great fit. How do charges usually work, one person vs two? (I know food, if included in monthly fees, would cost more for a couple. Was wondering if apartment fee is more like a hotel (same rate single or double).

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In my in laws’ facility, there was a set charge for the room/apartment, an additional charge for a second person (not necessarily a spouse - there was a mother/daughter duo in one apartment), and an additional charge per person that required assisted living services. The single person charge was definitely more than the additional charge for the second person … I think the additional charge was to cover the cost of food and other services (like recreational activities). In other words, the cost didn’t get reduced by half when my FIL passed away.

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Well, here’s an option. This feels like a nightmare to me! lol

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It is not attractive to me at all. I would really miss family & friends and need regular access to my mds & others. Who knows how well this boat will weather the years—15+ years is a long time to be traveling.

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I have a friend who is on this odyssey. He is single, and was retired for a while but never really traveled. So he sold his house and joined this adventure with the intention of being there for the rest of his life.

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I’ve only been on a cruise once, and I didn’t love it, except for all the food. Is it horrible that it was my honeymoon? Thankfully the marriage has been better than that voyage.

Something about this feels claustrophobic to me. I’d be stuck on a boat with no escape. What if I didn’t like my fellow voyagers? And I’m more of a mountain person than a beach person anyway.

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If you decide you don’t like one or more of the people, you and they are stuck. No thanks—it’s smaller than my HS graduating class. Too much opportunity for grievances, etc.

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I’ve heard of this: My parents moved into a brand new senior facility outside Portland. Shortly after, a woman moved in across the hall - and decided the far suburban location wasn’t to her taste. After several months she found a fancier facility under construction with a downtown location. A high-rise with River and city views. Problem was it wouldn’t be ready for a year, so she bought passage on a ship like this for the interim.
It’s been about a year now, I would like to hear how it worked out. While I have enjoyed the cruises we have been on, I think the tiny stateroom would be hard to take for months on end.

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As we age, I’d think access to quality medical & dental care and specialists would be of increased importance. I view that as problematic on a cruise ship that is on the move.

Having good medical care while away from home on visits is challenging enough. I can’t imagine that quality medical staff would be on the budget if the ship—probably a family practice doc who would hand off when ship reached ports.

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Living in a cruise ship can often be less expensive than in a retirement community, probably because most cruise ships hire most of the crew from middle income countries (i.e. pay levels do not have to be as high as for staff in retirement communities in the US).

Of course, the point about medical care can be important for those with higher medical needs. Another aspect is that when the next pandemic of airborne-transmissible virus hits, you better hope that the cruise ship does not get any passengers or crew infected. However, some retirement communities may not be set up well to handle that situation.

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As we get older, more and more of us may have greater medical needs, including the importance of early detection of possible cancer and treatment of the same.

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