You’ve built your life in your home, so it’s natural to want to stay there; most older adults and their family members feel this way. But over time, your needs and wants may change. You want to stay in your home, but you need more care and attention. You want to live independently, but you need assistance with grocery shopping and doctor’s appointments.
As you plan for the future, these wants and needs can help you determine the best option for you and your family – staying in your home or moving to a senior living community. Of course, while these circumstances impact your decision, cost is often the final deciding factor. Many people believe that transitioning into a senior living community will be too expensive, but in some situations, it can often be more cost-effective than remaining in a private residence.
Community Senior Life (CSL) is a senior living provider with communities throughout Alabama. We understand the significance of moving into a senior living community. We want to help you and your family make the best decision for you by comparing some of the financial aspects of living at home vs. moving to a community.
Home Maintenance, Repairs, & Upkeep
Living at Home
There is no way around it: owning a home requires maintenance. While home maintenance may not be a recurring monthly cost, these expenses can add up quickly. For example, cleaning out the gutters, routine lawn care, repairing the roof, and replacing appliances are all tasks that come up eventually.
Additionally, depending on where you live, preparing your home for extreme weather and repairing any damages can be costly and not easily predicted.
As your needs and lifestyle change, your home needs to as well. Adapting your home for your own safety is a priority, but it’s another added form of home maintenance. Installing railings on staircases or in the restroom, widening doorways, and making your floors non-slip all contribute to maintaining your home.
Senior Living Communities
In a senior living community, you don’t have to worry about home maintenance. No more paying out-of-pocket for repairs and upkeep, mowing the lawn, or hiring someone to replace the hot water tank. In addition to these maintenance services, many communities offer additional options like housekeeping and laundry so that residents can focus their time on their health and happiness – not routine chores.
Furthermore, these communities are designed with safety in mind. You will not have to adapt your home to fit your lifestyle because these safety features (and more) are already implemented.
Property Taxes and Utilities
Living at Home
If it was not already hard enough to plan and budget your expenses, property taxes and utilities make it that much more difficult. These costs are not fixed, meaning that you pay a different amount every month depending on your usage and making it difficult to predict your future financial needs.
Senior Living Communities
Fortunately, many senior living communities, including our CSL communities throughout Alabama, are all-inclusive with their costs. One monthly rate includes rent, home maintenance, utilities, services, and more. This fixed payment allows you and your family to better plan for the future – and potentially save you money.
F.Y.E. – For Your Entertainment
Living at Home
We all like to go out to dinner or catch a movie once in a while, but these are additional costs that need to be factored into your budget when you live in a private residence. Creating your ideal lifestyle should not have to be contingent on your other expenses that month.
Senior Living Communities
Senior living communities take these expenses out of the equation. Community Senior Life communities in Alabama provide exceptional amenities and offer daily activities and events that enable residents to enhance their lifestyles in a more convenient, cost-effective way. Some of these amenities include:
- Activity and social planning,
- On-site amenities,
- Internet access,
- Meal plan options,
- Courtesy transportation,
- And more!
The best part? All of these are included in your monthly rate.
Extra Care and Support
Living at Home
There may come a time when you need assistance with the activities of daily living, and having someone come into your home to help you needs to be factored into your budget. Depending on the level of care and how many hours you need, in-home care costs can be expensive.
Senior Living Communities
When you choose a lifestyle option in a senior living community, your care is part of the deal. At Community Senior Life, we offer independent living, assisted living, and memory care services. We want to understand your wants and needs and help make them a reality without the financial stress.
The costs of living at home can be unpredictable and can add up quickly. Living in a senior living community can help you better plan for your financial future, ease your worries about unexpected costs, and even save you money. What’s important is making a decision that keeps you healthy, happy, and safe without putting unnecessary strain on your wallet.
We invite you to contact Community Senior Life to learn more about our senior living communities and lifestyle options throughout Alabama.