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Quick senior
link–
What are senior
housing options that include services?
Q:
What kinds of housing options are there for seniors
who are looking for a place that offers some
services?
A:
Older Minnesotans who are looking for a housing
environment that offers some services have options,
but the availability may vary across communities.
The Senior LinkAge Line® staff keeps current
listings of the various housing with services sites
across the state. When you call, think about some of
the specific services you want or need in housing.
Congregate housing
has typically anywhere from 20 to 200 independent
apartments in a building. There may be meals
available onsite, organized social activities or
other services such as a grocery bus. Most
congregate housing for the elderly allow some
disabled or handicapped individuals to live there,
also.
Most communities
have subsidized senior apartments in which seniors
(usually age 62 or older) with low to moderate
income and assets pay 30 percent of their income for
the rent. Medical expenses such as Medicare and
supplemental insurance costs and prescription drug
expenses are deducted from a person’s income
before the rent is calculated. Check with the
housing manager of the building or call your local
Housing and Rehabilitation Authority for
applications and availability. Popular subsidized
senior high-rises usually have a waiting list.
However, if you are in a "housing
emergency," such as being evicted through no
fault of your own, you may receive priority.
A growing senior
housing option is assisted living. These units
usually have independent apartments, with or without
complete kitchens. Some have 24-hour on-site
supervision. Most offer services like personal care,
housekeeping, laundry, meals, socialization,
emergency alarms and medication management. The
costs can vary tremendously depending on the
services one receives. For example, some places
charge an extra fee each time a service is delivered
to your apartment.
Life care or
retirement facilities have the spectrum of senior
housing options on one campus – independent
apartments or condos where services can be brought
in, assisted living units and a long-term care
facility, perhaps even a dementia care unit –
eliminating the need to move very far if your needs
change.
Board and lodge or
board and care homes are generally called housing
with services today. These individual businesses,
partnerships or corporations may also have a license
for assisted living home care provider or be
licensed as a Class A Home Care Provider. All of
these licenses are regulated by the Minnesota
Department of Health. Some housing with services
providers may contract with another licensed home
care provider for all the personal care services in
the facility.
Adult foster care,
which can be a family home or a corporation, is
another housing option, particularly for those who
like a family-style environment. Also called Homes
Plus, adult foster care is licensed under the
Department of Human Services in each county.
House sharing or
share-a-home programs are available in some
communities, especially college towns. Here a person
who owns a home has someone else, or more than one
person, live with him or her and may exchange
services for part or all of the rent.
Is there any
program that helps pay for housing with services?
The Alternative
Care (AC) or Elderly Waiver (EW) programs may pay
for assisted living services, adult foster care
services or other supportive housing. To be eligible
for AC/EW a person must be at least age 65, be at
risk of nursing facility level of care, and meet
certain financial requirements that look at both
income and assets. A screening is done by county
public health or social services to determine
eligibility. Supportive services and home care may
be provided in one’s own home in the community
under these programs also.
Long-term care
insurance is another mechanism for financing
assisted living and home care services. It does not
pay for rent. These policies are regulated by the
Minnesota Department of Commerce. Typical policies
have 90-day waiting periods and both daily and
maximum limits. SHIP (State Health Insurance
Assistance Program) counselors, who can be reached
through the Senior LinkAge Line®, have information
about long-term care insurance.
Housing is not just
a roof over your head. It is a lifestyle – your
lifestyle. So take a good look at yourself first;
and take time to carefully think about your housing
choices before an emergency or crisis forces you
into a decision.
Quick Senior Link
items are taken from frequent calls to the Senior
LinkAge Line®, a free service that connects seniors
to programs or services that they need. Call
1-800-333-2433 or visit www.mnaging.org.
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