If you want or need to move from your current residence, many housing options are available to seniors today, depending on your needs and resources.

Senior Housing typically consists of apartments, condominiums and cottages specifically for individuals over 55 years of age, that are tailored to the needs and preferences of older adults. Some special features this housing may offer include bathrooms equipped with handrails and grab bars, electrical outlets placed within easier reach, and 24-hour emergency call systems.

While they provide a secure, residential environment, they do not provide the type of extensive assistance or health care associated with personal care/assisted living or nursing homes. These housing providers may offer a variety of supportive services to residents, such as meals, transportation, social services, counseling, recreational programs and daily checks or telephone reassurance. In addition, some senior housing communities have service coordinators who help residents access other outside services as needed. Also, many senior apartments or cottages are located on retirement community campuses that offer on-site access to health care.

Fees and monthly charges vary, depending on the size of the unit, the services offered, and the income group the building or community is designed to serve. Subsidies from various sources allow some senior apartments to offer lower rental rates to people who qualify according to income.

Campus-style Communities provide a continuum of housing, services and nursing care at one location to meet residents’ changing needs as they grow older. These communities charge for the type of housing and level of care you need at the time you enter the community. The fees change with your needs and the services required. Residents may take advantage of a wide variety of activities and services conveniently offered within the community, and also may continue to work, travel, volunteer and enjoy life outside the community.

Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) are one type of campus-style community that offer contracts covering living accommodations and services, including health care, over the long term. There are three common types of contracts:

• The first type may offer unlimited nursing care for little or no substantial increase in the usual monthly payments.
• The second type may include a specified amount of nursing care beyond which the resident is responsible for payment.
• The third type may require residents to pay full daily rates for all long-term nursing care required.

CCRCs charge a one-time entrance fee and an ongoing monthly fee for a package of services listed in the resident’s contract. Fees vary from one community to another, depending on the type of housing and services each offers and the extent to which long-term care is covered. In Pennsylvania, CCRCs are regulated by the state Department of Insurance. In addition, personal care and nursing homes on the campus are licensed separately by the Departments of Public Welfare and Health.

Personal Care, sometimes called assisted living, offers a variety of services for those who need daily assistance, but not constant nursing care. In Pennsylvania, personal care facilities are licensed by the state Department of Public Welfare. They support and enhance independence, often delaying the need for more intensive nursing home care. These facilities may stand-alone or be part of a retirement community or adjacent to a nursing home, and some offer programs for special needs, such as dementia. Personal care accommodations vary from single or double rooms to suites or apartments. Typical services include reminders of or physical assistance with meals or meal preparation, bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, medications, transportation, shopping, housekeeping, and laundry.

Charges for personal care are generally based on daily rates and usually reflect the level of service required, the size of the room or apartment and whether the facility is modest or more luxurious. Daily rates typically include the cost of lodging, meals, some personal care or assistance and on-site social activities. Additional services may be available at extra cost. Check with individual facilities for what services are included in their basic charge and what services are available for extra fees.

In most cases, residents or their families pay for the services. In Pennsylvania, limited funds are available for those individuals on Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Currently, the average rate for personal care homes or assisted living facilities in Pennsylvania is about $60 per day, or $1800 per month.

Nursing Homes are long-term-care facilities that offer skilled or intermediate nursing care. Skilled nursing is an intense level of nursing care as authorized by the resident’s physician on a 24-hour basis. Intermediate care is physician-authorized, 24-hour care on a less intense level. These homes offer a full array of personal, dietary, therapeutic, social, spiritual, recreational and nursing services, and are licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Some nursing homes specialize in caring for people who have memory loss, Parkinson’s disease, or other impairments.

Some residents will return home or to personal care/assisted living after a brief rehabilitative stay; others may need care for an extended period due to chronic health conditions. Most nursing homes help residents reach their highest potential in as home-like an atmosphere as possible, involving residents in decisions about their care and the home’s environment. In addition, they help residents maintain self-esteem, build strength, and continue lifetime social relationships and interests or develop new ones.

Currently, the average cost of nursing home care in Pennsylvania is $174 per day for a semi-private room and $190 per day for a private room. Some residents pay for their care with private funds or long-term care insurance; others with little or no resources rely on Medicaid to cover most of the costs. In some cases, Medicare may pay for a limited number of days in a nursing home following a hospital stay. In addition, if you have or are thinking about enrolling in a Medicare managed care plan, there are some unique considerations you should address, including whether or not the facility and your physician are part of that particular plan.