Assisted Living

To Choose the Right Facility You Must Understand Assisted Living.

We can help you pinpoint the appropriate facilities so you can make an informed decision.

In Orange County, CA and Southern Arizona we have so many choices for assisted living that it can become overwhelming.  The first thing we do at Assisted Living Placements is to narrow the field of choices.  To help us do this you must understand the different types of assisted living facilities.

Assisted Living/Retirement Communities: 

Generally speaking these facilities can be thought of as apartment communities.  They are usually fairly large with multiple sizes of apartments.  Most of these facilities serve breakfast, lunch and dinner in a communal dinning room.  Included with your monthly rent is the apartment, utilities excepting the phone, 3 meals per day, transportation, activities, light housekeeping and sometimes laundry.  It is important to note that while many additional assisted living services (bathing assistance, medication management, etc.) are available, they usually come at an additional price.  It is vital that this is understood when planning for the future.

Dementia/Alzheimer’s Care Communities:

For seniors with special cognitive needs requiring a higher level of supervision than regular assisted living but looking for more activity, stimulation and socialization than a Board & Care option.  A good ratio of patients to caregivers and lots of activities make this option great for people with cognitive impairment but who are still physically pretty healthy.  These communities tend to be expensive.

Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly/Board & Care:

For seniors that may need a higher level of care Board & Cares may just be the ticket.  Usually limited by the state to no more than 10 residents, the best of these homes are staffed by 2 to 3 caregivers 24 hours a day.  This 1 to 2 or 1 to 3 ratio of caregivers to residents is about the best you will find anywhere.  Pricing generally includes bedroom, food, laundry, transportation and all required care services, and prices generally remain the same.  These cozy, caring homes are great for people who need help with most activities of daily living (ADL).

Skilled Nursing Care: 

Skilled Nursing is for only the most dire of cases.  If a patient has a condition that must be treated by a licensed nurse every day, or has a mental disorder (dementia, Alzheimer's, etc.) which has rendered them a danger to themselves or others, then Skilled Nursing may be the only choice.  Before choosing the Skilled Nursing option, Assisted Living Placement strongly encourages people to look at more comfortable options.

Within these 3 generic categories are hundreds of different choices.  Assisted Living Placements has the experience to help you focus your search on a few facilities that are the best for your situation.  We will then set up tours and actually pick you up and take you to look at those facilities, so you can make a decision as to which facility best meets your needs.  If you would rather look at facilities on your own we can supply you with names, phone numbers and addresses of these same facilities.  It is your choice how we can best serve you.