“When comparing the cost of daily assistance for a health challenged senior adult, Assisted Living centers compare very favorability when it comes to quality, convenience, and affordability.” states Tara Koestner, Administrator, The Continental at St Joseph's Assisted Living Center . Of course, everyone wants to live in their own home as long as possible. This is understandable and always the ideal situation as long as the aging adult is able to maintain a reasonable quality of life at home. Gradually, over time, subtle signs appear that indicate that aging adult may not be doing as well at home alone as the family would hope. Lora Lyons, Healthcare Coordinator at CSJ recommends that the family look for the following signs of unsafe behavior:

• Falling and unable to get up without assistance.
• Missed doses of medications and out of date medications.
• Gradual loss of weight.
• Lack of personal hygiene.
• Unable to hear the phone or call for help.
• Inability or unwillingness to leave their home.
• Gets lost or looses objects frequently.
• Living space shrinking to a space around the favorite chair.
• Periodic little driving accidents.

All of the above behaviors happen normally with age and individually do not necessarily indicate unsafe behavior.. However, when an ongoing trend starts to appear, it is time for the family to consider making arrangement to assist this adult. There comes a point in time in this process where Assisted Living becomes the most cost effective means of providing quality of life assistance for a loved one.

When comparing the cost of Assisted Living and living at home, families need to take into consideration the following costs:

• Rent, or mortgage, property taxes, and insurance.
• Utility costs including: gas, electric, water, trash pick-up.
• Home maintenance including; furnace maintenance, lawn care, snow removal, and home repairs. Consider the inconvenience of arranging maintenance and waiting for repairs.
• Cost of food and/or meal delivery. Consider the quality of nutrition and the lack of enjoyment eating alone.
• Cost of outside assistance for housekeeping, laundry services, transportation to medical appointments, or home health.
• Cost of technology, such as cable TV, Life Line, and medical monitoring devices.
• Concerns about management of medical issues, for example; oxygen use and obtaining oxygen supplies, diabetes management and obtaining diabetic supplies, and proper incontinent management.

When considering all of the costs associated with living at home, Assisted Living Centers like The Continental at St. Joseph's, become more affordable than one might initially think, especially when long term care insurance could pay most if not all of the costs. If you compare the cost of living in an Assisted Living apartment compared to the cost of living in a Long Term Care facility, Assisted Living Centers costs less.

According to Tara Koestner, “Assisted Living Centers are places where senior adults thrive not simply exist.” A daily social interactions, outings, physical exercise, etc. keep seniors mentally sharp and physically strong. Monthly tenants can enjoy social activities, like Bingo or Wii Bowling, and musical entertainment. At The Continental at St. Joseph's , all of these amenities are included in the basic rent, in addition to weekly shopping, transportation to and from local appointments, and three well-balanced meals each and every day. Most important to families is the peace of mind that comes with the healthcare monitoring services. of 24 hour security services and daily on site health aide visits which most seniors just don't have at home.

The main thing to remember here is quality of life. Our loved ones have worked very hard to get to where they are. Don't they deserve every opportunity to relax and enjoy this phase of their lives? Why not let someone else do the things that they don't enjoy so that there is more time for them to do the things they love. Assisted living is a unique environment where seniors can do just that.