5 Differences Between Independent & Assisted Retirement Home Living

Finding a living arrangement for yourself as you age can seem overwhelming, especially if you are unfamiliar with the nuances of senior living options.

To understand your best fit, examine the differences between types of housing and care services, such as independent and assisted living, provided by retirement homes in the Niagara Falls area.

This choice depends on whether you are capable of managing daily activities without assistance. These include preparing meals, maintaining your personal hygiene, completing household chores, managing medications, driving, and taking care of your finances. If you can, choose independent living. For others, it is better to go with assisted living as it offers a more maintenance-free lifestyle.

Independent living focuses on taking care of your health and dietary needs such as deciding on a workout regime and planning nutritious meals. Assisted living offers help with daily activities such as preparing meals and managing medication. However, it still allows you to live as independently as possible.

Let’s look at the key differences between independent and assisted living.

Independent Living Compared to Assisted Living

Here’s how independent living differs from assisted living

1. Daily Amenities and Services 

In the case of assisted living, a retirement home provides necessary support such as offering three daily meals and snacks. Most of the seniors live in suites close to the other residents. It is possible to get help with basic activities such as shopping, cleaning, bathing and making doctor appointments as the home is staffed 24/7.

Extensive emotional care such as companionship is offered by talking, building connections, making them feel wanted, and organizing fun activities like singing and dancing.

Independent living does not offer nursing or other medical care support. Instead, it focuses on maintaining an active life by looking after a fitness regime and offering nutritious meals.

2. Medical and Supportive Care 

Assisted living is an alternative for seniors who don’t like living alone. Medical conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes as they age often encourage them to live in retirement homes. Staff members take care of medical appointments and look after the seniors, such as seeing whether or not they are taking their medicine on time.

Independent living at our retirement home in Niagara Falls allows seniors to live within a community. Seniors who do not require medical support can use this facility.

It’s possible to make a switch to assisted living from independent living if they are not able to manage daily activities like cooking, cleaning, and making doctor’s appointments.

3. Contact with Staff 

In assisted living, staff stays close for monitoring purposes and to keep an eye on residents. They can’t make a diagnosis as they are not doctors, but they make sure that the residents are thriving by checking whether they are taking medicine on time. If there is a need for medical help, staff calls doctors and stays in close contact with the senior’s family members.

Independent living does not require seniors to keep contact with staff on a regular basis. For housekeeping, they will visit the suite once a week. Daily activities such as walking, cleaning, and cooking do not require help from staff members as it is observed in the case of assisted living. Seniors only come into contact with staff if they go to the community dining hall for meals.

4. Family Involvement 

The use of assisted living services relieves family members from caregiving responsibilities. Staff often anticipate the needs of residents and support them according to their requirements. That’s why caregivers do not intervene until there are any unmet requirements.

Many family members try to take care of seniors at home as they age. It is hard to find a substitute alternative for the love and support a family provides as they have known each other for years. But it is quite natural for them to become tired providing continuous care and support.

By using the independent living services of retirement homes in Niagara Falls, caregivers do not have to worry about the well-being of their seniors and can have some peace of mind. It also allows the seniors to enjoy a community life without fear of isolation. However, the family continues to support those seniors with health issues.

5. Continuum of Care 

Seniors opt for assisted living when they require support such as making medical appointments, completing daily chores and socializing (dancing, singing, and listening to music) with friends from the staff. If required, staff members also offer extensive support such as help with bathing and grooming.

For elderly people suffering from degenerative health conditions such as Parkinson’s, cancer, and dementia, it is better to choose assisted living. It often acts as a transitional place where they can move from a nursing home. Later on, they may choose to stay there even if continuous care is no longer required.

Independent living promotes a good mental and physical lifestyle by organizing diverse activities like golfing, baking, and gardening which leads to healthy living. So, it is not going to offer as extensive a continuum of care as assisted living.

Health problems in older age do not mean that there should be a decline in quality of life. Depending on your idea of a perfect retirement, you can choose between independent and assisted living. Looking at the differenceswill help to arrive at a decision. But there is no doubt that both living options offer an opportunity to maintain social relationships and pursue interests and hobbies. Right now, there may not be a need for extensive care. So, becoming a resident through the service of independent living is a good idea. However, it is possible to make a move to assisted living at anytime if you need it. Take a tour of the retirement home and talk to residents and staff if you need more information to make the right decision.