50+ Lifestyles

Aging and You

October Is Here!

By Julie Arndt
Marketing Director at Ridgecrest Village

Time is flying by way too fast for many of us. I love the change of the seasons. October ushers in an abundance of rich beauty and crisp morning air. I recall as a child taking trips to the Mississippi in the fall to take in the vistas of the season and we would purchase the best apples ever! My mom would make homemade applesauce, and it just warmed the soul. In the spirit of planning for the winter months, it’s the perfect time to contemplate the benefits of living in a senior retirement community.

Just think, no more worries of snow removal, power outages, huge utility bills, or how to get your groceries during severe weather. Maybe you are not ready to make a permanent life change, but you can consider a seasonal move to retirement living just to try it out. Many local facilities offer this as an option. This is also a wonderful time to review a few facts about senior living.

First, there is independent living. Most senior independent living communities offer a minimum of one meal a day, housekeeping, and transportation all in one place. As we age, if the weather is bad and there is no reason to go out in the cold, social isolation may become more likely. In most senior living communities, there is an array of activities to choose from; many without even going outside! This can have a favorable impact on our cognitive health. Getting the right help at the right time is a good way to remain as independent as possible for as long as possible.

For those who need a little more help, an assisted living apartment may be just the thing with direct access to assistance for health-related care, such as assistance with medication, bathing, dressing, or personal hygiene. Assisted livings have clinical staff available and provide three meals a day. Like independent living, formal activities are also offered. When looking for assisted living be sure to inquire if it is a flat daily rate, opposed to an ala carte charge for each service provided. Those ala carte service charges can add up fast.

Most of us are familiar with long term nursing or skilled nursing care. There are a few senior living communities in the Quad Cities area, like Ridgecrest Village, which offer all three distinct levels of care (independent, assisted, and skilled care) on the same campus. In the world of Medicare these days, there is often little time to make such a crucial decision as to where you would receive skilled nursing care after a hospital stay. If your senior community has a unit right on campus, this can offer significant peace of mind.

I like to periodically touch upon these various levels of care. We all age at a different pace and our needs change. Rules change. Facilities change and even how to pay for care changes from time to time. Ridgecrest has been an anchor senior living community for decades, but few know that you can simply rent an apartment, cottage, or assisted living unit at Ridgecrest without paying a lifecare entrance fee. It’s that easy.  Additionally, long term and skilled nursing is available to the larger community, and you don’t need to be a Ridgecrest resident to receive care there.  Also, Medicaid for long term nursing care is accepted as a payor source, even if you are already in care at another facility.

Again, this is a great time of year to do an inventory of what our needs are as we enter the winter season ahead. It may be just the time to give a little change a chance!

Julie Arndt is a licensed social worker and Director of Marketing at Ridgecrest Village with over 30 years’ experience working in the field of geriatrics and senior advocacy. She can be reached at jarndt@ridgecrestvillage.org.