As the years go by, a number of senior couples want to live together in their post-retirement years. Honestly, after retirement the stress is less, people already have enough savings and their children are on their own. That makes these the golden years of their lives when they should be able to explore new things together and have fun. However, their ailing health becomes the major challenge in the path of fulfilling their sweet dreams.
It is only fair for most couples to want individual care for each person. One person may require regular insulin injections, while the other might need hot wax massages for his or her knees. Only a few facilities offer such individual care to older adults, living together with their significant other. As life expectancy continues to increase in the US over 60% of the senior citizens are now looking for suitable retirement communities where they can live as a couple.
Here are a few things you must consider when looking for a senior home for yourself or your parents or grandparents –
· Individual care for a couple
While searching for a senior couple’s assisted accommodation, you should always consider the individual needs and the shared needs of the couple. If you are looking at retirement communities for yourself, you might find this process easy. When another person is a part of this transition, finding a place that can cater to both of your physical health and mental health needs can be challenging.
· Acquaint yourself with intimacy policies
Moreover, the new life in a new location can be tricky. Several communities have strict intimacy policies. Most couples get their own rooms, so intimacy is not an issue here. However, when one person needs rooms without locks or memory assistance, intimacy can become a trickier subject that you have ever imagined. In such cases, you should always speak with the community representative directly to broach the subject.
What are the different senior retirement facilities couples can consider?
There are quite a few types, but here are the three most popular ones –
i. Continuing care retirement community
It is an assisted living facility that can extend the couple’s care for senior citizens. For example – the husband requires memory care and the husband needs a mobility aid. A continuing care retirement community can provide a milieu of complex services to those in need. These include the fully equipped assisted living apartments that allow planning for the present and the future wellbeing of the senior couples.
ii. Family homes
Family care homes are excellent choices for couples with changing healthcare needs. These hosts a small number of residents in a home-type setting. It is possible for them to provide individual care to the members and attend to their varying needs.
iii. Skilled nursing
Hiring skilled nurses can be a part of your home-care plan, or it can be a part of your assisted living facility. The numerous assisted living facilities available in the US offer skilled nursing facilities, therapy and rehabilitation, and specialized medical care to the members.
For couples, who have lived together for a long time, it is only natural for them to want to move into a facility that has accommodations for senior couples. Always conduct thorough research before deciding on a retirement community.