Residential Care Homes; An Alternative to Assisted Living

Margaret is 82 years of age.  She has lived alone in her home with home care for the last five years.  Margaret has decided it is time to move into senior housing.  She has visited a few assisted living communities that offer continuum of care.  Because of her health, she knows she will need more care in the future.  She remembers hearing about residential care homes at a senior living presentation.  Margaret liked the idea and concept of being in a home close to her neighborhood.

Residential care homes offer an alternative to larger assisted living communities.  These homes are ideal for older adults who need care and prefer a more intimate setting.  The family-like feel of this option makes it an excellent choice for people with dementia, poor mobility i.e. Parkinson’s or a person prone to falls.  Often someone with more complex needs and who may qualify for skilled nursing could live in the right residential home.  One of the reasons people choose this option is because the staff to resident ratio is higher.  And, there are more consistent staff because of the smaller setting.

Consider these attributes of residential care homes:

• Small setting with an average of 6-8 people living in a household.
• Located in a residential neighborhood.
• Family-feel offers opportunities for socializing with housemates.
• High staff to resident ratios.
• Able to manage complex medical diagnosis.

Residential care homes are licensed in different ways, and all have state licensing requirements and oversite.  Because they offer a higher staff ratio, the cost to live there could also be higher.  Choice Connections partners with many of these homes throughout the Twin cCties.  If this sounds like it could be a good fit for you or a loved one, we can help you explore homes that best fit your needs.