Dif­fer­ences between Inde­pen­dent and Assist­ed Living

April 26, 2023

Inde­pen­dent Liv­ing and Assist­ed Liv­ing cater to a person’s unique needs in dif­fer­ent ways. Inde­pen­dent Liv­ing is for those who can live with­out assis­tance, while Assist­ed Liv­ing is designed for those who can live inde­pen­dent­ly, but require help with cer­tain activ­i­ties of dai­ly liv­ing, including:

• Med­ica­tion management
• Meal prepa­ra­tion
• Bathing, groom­ing, low­er body dressing
• House­keep­ing
• Laun­dry

As a Life Plan Com­mu­ni­ty, we take a per­son-cen­tered approach when it comes to our Res­i­dents. Our goal is to max­i­mize each person’s inde­pen­dence through­out the aging process, allow­ing them to age with­in the com­mu­ni­ty as health needs change.

The Lim­i­ta­tions of Most Retire­ment Communities

Most retire­ment com­mu­ni­ties and Assist­ed Liv­ing cen­ters eval­u­ate the health of prospec­tive res­i­dents with the focus on a prospect’s cur­rent abil­i­ties and needs. What hap­pens if an Inde­pen­dent Liv­ing or Assist­ed Liv­ing resident’s health declines? For many com­mu­ni­ties, that res­i­dent may need to leave the com­mu­ni­ty to receive the care they need.

We see this issue arise for cou­ples liv­ing in an Inde­pen­dent Liv­ing envi­ron­ment when one spouse requires a high­er level-of-care.

Smith Vil­lage: The Best of Both Worlds

A Life Plan Com­mu­ni­ty is a thought­ful choice for peo­ple who want to live an inde­pen­dent and main­te­nance-free lifestyle while also secur­ing future care they might need. At Smith Vil­lage, Inde­pen­dent Liv­ing res­i­dents enjoy the recre­ation­al and social ameni­ties of a stand-alone retire­ment com­mu­ni­ty. The dif­fer­ence is, if they ever need it, Smith Vil­lage Res­i­dents also have life­time access to Assist­ed Liv­ing, Mem­o­ry Sup­port, Skilled Nurs­ing Care, and Short-Term Reha­bil­i­ta­tion. They won’t have to move from the com­mu­ni­ty they know and love if their needs change.

Inter­est­ed in Explor­ing Your Options?

If you’re ready to explore more about the Smith Vil­lage com­mu­ni­ty, we can help assess which lev­el-of-care is best for you or your loved one. Give us a call at (773) 474‑7300.

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