When your elderly parents get to the point where you feel that they are unable to live alone, but they still want to be independent, Assisted Living may be a good option for them.

An assisted living facility is for those people who need help with activities of daily living.  An assisted living facility reminds me of a college dorm.  The elderly couple or person has their own apartment (some have separate kitchens and bedrooms), but mostly eat in the dining room. There are many activities which your parent can participate in.  These facilities provide a tremendous amount of socialization for your elder, a major bonus!

Assisted living facilities also can help care for your elder.  They provide laundry, housekeeping and maintenance services (my college dorm never did my laundry or cleaning for me) as well as hands on care of your elder for such tasks as bathing, eating, dressing, and assistance with medication.  Of course you will pay for these extra “hands on care” services in addition to the rent for the room or apartment.

If your parent doesn’t need too much care this is a wonderful choice. In my situation with my parents, they needed too much care and this wasn’t a good choice for them.  Be careful when evaluating an assisted living facility they can have many hidden charges.  It is best to get all your potential costs known upfront otherwise your parent’s (or your) wallet may be in for one heck of a surprise.  Assisted living facilities are not covered under Medicare or Medicaid as far as I know, these is a private pay facilities.