As a caregiver to an aging loved one, it is important to note what is happening on the national level when it comes to senior care. We breakdown some of the current statistics shared in 2022 and provide insight on why you should take notice of the trend.
The average cost of assisted living is $4,300 per month. The average cost of nursing homes is near $9,000 per month.
Both of those numbers can be staggering to take in, especially if your loved one hasn’t been able to save up a lot of money. The important note you should make is the vast difference in average national costs between assisted living and nursing home care.
Your loved one might be definitively in one of the categories so the decision on the level of care is an easy one. But, if your loved one is somewhere in between, the choice can be very difficult. If your loved one is able to live comfortably in assisted living, it would likely make the most sense from a budgetary standpoint to have them there.
More than 810,000 people reside in assisted living facilities.
What should this statistic mean to you? If you are having to consider placing a loved one in some kind of care facility, you should know that you aren’t alone.
Caregivers can often fall into emotional distress and depression when they have to make the decision of moving a loved one into assisted living care. Just know that there are hundreds of thousands of other people making or have made the same difficult decision.
The population of adults older than 85 will double by 2036 and triple by 2049.
There is the possibility that you might live in an area that has several senior living options for your loved one. There is also a good chance that the growing 85+ population could make getting space in desired care facilities more difficult.
If you think that you might be looking at care options in the next 5 years, you should start looking into waiting lists. There are many quality facilities that have several people on waiting lists to even be considered a resident and the earlier you plan, the better.
About 71% of senior care residents have memory impairments.
It is a difficult reality to face when an aging loved one begins to show signs of memory loss. Your loved one might only have moderate “times” of impairment but you will still need to consider that when selecting the type of care, they need.
Memory care has continued to become a high demand need for senior care in recent years. As these facilities are much more specialized, you should begin your research the moment your loved one begins to show memory impairment.
*Data source: https://www.consumeraffairs.com/assisted-living/statistics.html#:~:text=National%20senior%20living%20statistics,seniors%20live%20in%20nursing%20homes
