Choosing the Right Retirement Home for You

Navigating the world of retirement homes and health-care choices can be daunting. We’d like to take this opportunity to help clarify a few things to help you select the right setting for yourself or others.

Housing and health-care options fall under these four main categories:

1. Active Adult or Age-Restricted Seniors’ Housing

Although there are a wide variety of seniors’ housing types included under this heading—apartment condos, townhouses, patio homes, bare land stratas—what they share is the absence of services, other than common-area maintenance and perhaps some recreational amenities.

2. Retirement Residences or Independent Living

Sometimes called supportive housing or congregate housing, this term means housing that is provided in conjunction with “hospitality services”: meals, housekeeping, social and recreational services, and an emergency response system. Retirement residences appeal to two groups of people—those who may require a little assistance to remain fully independent; and those who would like someone else to take over the chores of cooking, cleaning, yard work, and so on.

3. Assisted Living or Personal Care Services

In British Columbia, assisted living means that occupants of a retirement residence can obtain additional support with the “activities of daily living” if needed. These are sometimes referred to as personal care services and can include things like medication reminders or help with bathing and dressing. Personal care services can be provided either by staff of the residence in question, or by staff of outside agencies who come in to the building on a scheduled basis.

4. Residential Care or Long Term Care

Often referred to as extended care or nursing homes, complex care or intermediate care, these are licensed facilities that provide professional nursing and medical care for physically or mentally frail residents on a round-the-clock basis.

Where does Legacy Senior Living fit in? We are an independent retirement residence where seniors can also access personal care services if and when they need them.

Finding the Right Retirement Home

Choosing the right retirement home for your needs can be a difficult decision. You may believe that you need more assistance than you really do, or think that you should just stay put since you aren’t ready for all those hospitality services. Some people assume they need assisted-living services and then discover that good food, regular housekeeping, and fun social activities give them more energy and better health than they expected. So don’t hesitate to investigate different settings, ask questions, and find the match that’s just right for you.