This is a place for active, healthy seniors who still retain the ability — both mentally and physically — to live on their own. Independent Living communities offer the opportunity for seniors to socialize with their peers through a variety of events and activities. Service can include meals, house keeping, and transportation. Independent Living communities may also be called retirement homes or senior housing.

This type of community offers long-term senior care along with support services that can include meals, bathing and dressing, medication supervision, as well as transportation. Seniors in Assisted Living receive help with health care, household chores, and personal care. Amenities often include social and recreational activities. Assisted Living is sometimes offered as part of a larger independent living community.

Seniors afflicted with Alzheimer’s or dementia will eventually require 24-hour care from a community offering Memory Care often provided in a secure setting such as an assisted living or nursing home. To ensure safety, these communities need a large staff-to-resident ratio as well as specialized training for those with memory impairment. Living arrangements may include semi-private apartments or private rooms.

Alzheimer’s communities offer long-term care in a fully staffed and monitored environment. Such communities include secured areas as well as programming to keep residents safe and prevent them from wandering. Residents can get help with medication and daily activities like eating, bathing dressing and grooming.

These communities provide a wide range of care choice for residents, everything from independent private units to skilled nursing. Continuing Care Retirement Communities (also known as CCRCs) allow active seniors to maintain their independence in a private residential environment, while offering the option for assisted living or nursing care should the need arise.

Skilled Nursing communities, or Nursing Homes, are designed for seniors who need 24-hour care. These homes usually offer many of the same services as other senior living communities, such as meals, personal care, and supervision, as well as different forms of therapy. What makes Skilled Nursing communities different from other senior living options is the presence of on-site medical staff at all hours.

As the name implies, Respite Care is like a rest from the routine and involves a temporary stay at a senior community (often Assisted Living or Memory Care). This choice is designed for seniors who require some day-to-day support, but are also looking for some social stimulation and activities. Respite Care can also refer short-term in-home care.

This option is for seniors who require medical care, but still want to live on their own as long as possible. Home Health spans a variety of care and can postpone the need for nursing home care. Home Health services can include physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, as well as skilled nursing. It can also include daily help with bathing, dressing, meals, housecleaning, plus medication supervision.

This type of community offers medical care, as well as emotional and spiritual support for those in the final stages of a terminal illness, such as cancer. In addition to caring for residents, Hospice communities also assist families with both the practical and emotional challenges of caring for a loved one in the last days of life. Hospice Care may be provided at dedicated hospice centers, long-term care communities, or in your own home.