What does independent living mean?
Independent living is a housing arrangement set up specifically for adults at the age of 55 or older who are able to care for themselves. These arrangements come in the form of a senior apartment, home, or other living facilities.
Also known as retirement communities, independent living allows your loved one to enjoy their day-to-day activities without the burden of responsibilities like lawn care.
Residents who live in a retirement community benefit from living in a smaller home that isn’t as taxing on finances and maintenance. And unlike nursing homes, there is far greater freedom and flexibility in how your loved ones carry out their lives.
Because the pricing of these places is more manageable than living in a house. It allows for less stress and responsibility.
Services and Amenities for Independent Living
Senior housing apartments are more convenient because of the services offered. The provide amenities and activities that allow for continuing care and support. Other details include daily outings for local residents, holiday celebrations, special game nights, field trips, and a variety of classes to learn and take part in new things.
Some offer exercise programs for seniors, as well. This ensures that there is a level of continuing care that allows each resident to make the most of their new living arrangement.
At Mary T, our senior apartments and housing options give seniors the option to choose their level of independent living. Each retirement community is fully wheelchair accessible and has community spaces that allow tenants to connect with fellow independent living members.
Every retirement community varies in the services they offer. Some communities offer specific activities, meals, housekeeping, and things of that nature. If your loved one requires daily assistance with certain tasks at home, they may either hire the services of a home aid or opt for assisted living.
If you would like to learn more about pricing and other details, call us or visit our website. When you choose any of our locations in Minnesota for senior independent living, Minneapolis is only about 30 minutes away. Our convenient locations ensure that your loved ones have local health care in the event that medical attention is needed.
What is the difference between independent living and assisted living?
Senior living varies between assisted living and independent living. Assisted living is for seniors who can still get around on their own for the most part, but require assistance to live a safe and healthy lifestyle. For example, assisted members might need help with memory care or getting dressed.
Other details that make up assisted arrangements include daily health care. Since there is assistance around-the-clock, each senior who requires a helping hand can get it. If someone needs assistance bathing every day, assisted care will provide this service.
Independent living is geared more toward adults who can provide for themselves in almost all aspects of life. The independent living community just serves as a means of continuing care. Retirement communities aid in senior care by letting seniors take on a more independent role.
Key Differences
The key difference in living at a place like this is that there are far fewer responsibilities for your loved one to worry about. Most senior living housing community apartments are compact in size so as to make daily tasks more manageable.
And yet you will still find that these apartments feature all of the necessary services to allow for convenient home living. Assisted senior living arrangements can sometimes be limited in what is available and accessible for safety reasons.
Moreover, assisted senior care members have more services available to them. Whereas independent seniors might make their own meals and do their own shopping, assisted seniors have meals served to them three times a day.
However, there are some independent communities that assist with meals and other daily needs and tasks. In instances like these, each senior can opt not to receive this kind of help if they don’t want it.
Access to Care
Each assisted senior living place also has registered nurses who stay on-site and are on-call 24 hours a day. Having this kind of home care in place at all times ensures that an assisted senior can get the help they need should an issue arise.
Most independent seniors can manage any medications on their own that they may have to take. At an assisted living place, this is handled for each senior to ensure that medication is taken regularly as prescribed.
Assisted seniors also have the benefit of in-home care from a physician. And thanks to 24-hour supervised care, a senior who is living assisted is looked after at all times of the day. As with independent living arrangements, assisted residents have access to local transport.
This allows them to get to appointments and run errands as needed. Assisted residents are also provided access to community gatherings so that everyone can meet and interact with each other. This promotes an encouraging environment that allows members to connect and build friendships.
Respite Care
Families who care for someone can turn to assisted programs for respite care. This allows the family to seek some relief for a time while the assisted program provides care for the family member. This is a great option to have available. It serves to give the family a break from time to time.
These programs often allow for assistance to be set up for a certain period, making it easy to schedule certain events or activities that would otherwise be impossible.
Patients with disabilities are a great fit for assisted programs. We have medical professionals who remain on location and are on-call when needed. If you need to enroll a loved one for a certain amount of time, you have the peace of mind that they will be well cared for and will have activities to keep them busy.
This kind of care ensures that patients receive meals and assistance to accommodate for their needs. You can rely on assisted programs to provide respite care when you need it. This benefits not only the patient but the caregiver, as well.
Many caregivers who look after individuals are often in poor health. Having respite assistance to fall back on from time to time can help improve the health of the caregiver, as well as their quality of life.
Common Similarities
What makes both assisted and independent living so appealing to many adults is the fact that there is far less to worry about. In these living arrangements, residents don’t have to bother with details like mowing the lawn or shoveling snow. If something goes wrong in their home or apartment, residents don’t need to worry about hiring a professional to come to fix it. There is on-site maintenance to handle such problems.
Easy Transportation Options
While many independent living residents may have their own means of transportation, some do not. This is why having access to transportation is so important. Residents of both assisted and independent living communities don’t have to fear missing an appointment.
Transparent and Bundled Pricing
What’s more, the pricing for both communities makes it easy for residents to lead comfortable lives. Instead of worrying about how they are going to survive or cover the costs of something that breaks, each senior can focus on enjoying life.
All of the available amenities are included in the pricing of their rent. This ensures that there are no surprises from one month to the next.
Convenient Locations
At Mary T, our assisted and independent living communities allow for easy access and convenience. Residents who need to run errands won’t have to worry about traveling great distances to pick up groceries, for example. This ensures that there is more time to spend on themselves and with loved ones.
We want all of our residents to feel safe and secure. We invite you to explore our website so you can see what we have available. Each community has a lot to offer. So be sure to check their details to help you better determine which one is right for you and your loved ones.
Be sure to check our testimonials, as well. You will find that there are many others just you who found peace and happiness in our beautiful communities.
If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be happy to assist you in any way that we can. If you would like to view our Privacy Policy, click here for more information. We look forward to becoming a part of your family and hope to hear from you soon!