While moving a loved one to an assisted care residential community does require some adjustment and change, they can still retain a large amount of their independence that they enjoyed while living in their own home. If you have a loved one in fairly good health and they do not require extensive assistance with daily tasks, assisted living facilities can be a great option for them. Assisted living is very similar to living in an apartment with your own spacious room and private bathing facilities, with the added comfort of trained and caring staff right outside the door ready to help when they are needed.

Each assisted living community is unique and different in its own way and the costs of living in one do vary from home to home and location. Fees are going to be different for every facility, but there is a general pricing that many homes follow. Sometimes family members are surprised to find that some services may cost extra.

Depending upon the part of the country you reside in assisted living care can be more or less expensive than another location.

The national median cost of assisted living care for 2019 was $4,051 for a one bedroom apartment per month. The average cost raises for those in New York at $6,950 per month and the number goes down significantly in Indiana to $2,970 per month.

What is Generally Included

Most facilities include room and board as their base package costs. This includes a private room/apartment/suite and two or three prepared meals a day. The community is set up so that a resident can call for help if needed or if there is an emergency. Some facilities will also offer transportation services via bus or other means for outings to locations like the grocery store. Basic maintenance is included in base costs as well.

What is Generally Considered an “Extra” Cost

Assistance with daily activities like help with eating, dressing, bathing, transferring, and use of the bathroom, laundry, medication management, housekeeping, pet care, onsite hair trimming/salon services, companions for trips such as appointments, and small health care tasks are generally offered as “a la cart” pick and choose added costs in addition to base package costs.

What offerings are included in the personalized a la cart services will, of course, differ from community to community. Some communities that have fancy or “high-end” amenities like on-site salons, fitness rooms, spas, and more come at a high price tag. Families are not surprised at the higher price tag thinking it covers all of the “extras” only to find out that the quoted base price really only covers atmosphere, the room, and basic meals. The other stuff will be an additional fee.

Care Needs Assessments Can Help to Estimate Assisted Living Costs

The better understanding you have of your loved one’s abilities to function on their own and what they need help with on a daily basis, the easier it will be to estimate the cost of getting them the care they need in an assisted living facility. Your loved one’s primary care provider can help to provide an initial needs assessment.

Before placing your loved one in a facility make sure to read the contract thoroughly and ask several questions about what is included in care and what is offered beyond basic care package options. A reputable facility will be more than happy to openly discuss their offerings with you and the costs of their offerings.

Three Tree Vista is very dedicated to offering every resident in our care personalized and attentive care. To discuss our care options and costs please contact us any time. We also have tours of our luxury Burien assisted care residential home available.