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Home > Features Archives > Retirement Options

January 01, 2010 @ 10:58am CST

Maintaining Independence During Your Golden Years

Maybe you’re an empty nester looking to downsize and live carefree, or a member of the sandwich generation caring for your children and parents or grandparents and you realize you cannot do it alone. You’ll find an abundance of retirement options that emphasize independence as well as quality care.

The Centers for Disease Control recently reported that Americans are, indeed, living longer. The average life expectancy is about 78. With so many living longer and more boomers becoming a part of the sandwich generation, the decision to transition to a lower-maintenance community or the need to live with assistance is becoming more popular. Retirement communities, according to retirementcommunity.com, allow for seniors to live independently in their own homes, often in gated neighborhoods, and provide activities, such as golf, tennis and more and facilities, including country clubs and walking trails.

Independent living communities provide great freedom. These facilities offer compact, low-maintenance private apartments. While Arkansas does not regulate retirement communities, they do provide supervised nursing and long-term facilities. A long-term care facility is “a nursing home, residential care facility, assisted-living facility, post-acute head injury retaining and residential care facility or any other facility, which provides long-term medial or personal care.” Assisted living services provide a combination of housing, personal and health care services to individuals who need assistance with daily activities. They also provide 24-hour supervision, assistance and activities.

The Arkansas Department of Human Services offers information through their Choices in Living Programs. One of the goals of the program is to provide options to nursing homes, to allow individuals to continue to live in their homes, in the communities surrounded by family and friends.

The programs include:

Elder Choices, which is for individuals 65 years and older. Participants receive meals (delivered to their homes); help with errands, such as laundry, shopping, household tasks and meal preparation, when possible. They may also attend supervised adult day care; receive visits from agency workers so family members may have respite; enroll in the personal emergency response system; and/or participate in the Adult Foster Care program; Alternatives, a program for adults with physical disabilities. In-home care and modifications to your home are available as needed. Individuals, ages 21 to 64, in this program receive required care from a provider of his or her choice; Living Choices is similar to assisted living. It’s for individuals 65 years and adults 21 and older who are blind or physically-disabled. Persons in the program live in apartment-style housing with around-the-clock support services, supervision and care. They may also participate in social activities provided on-site, receive help with medication, transportation, etc.; Independent Choices provides services for those 18 and older, who need services from a personal caregiver. Individuals in this program live independently or with family and receive a cash allowance to pay for care. This is the most autonomous of the programs; and Personal Care is not age based. This program provides for those who need medical assistance as well as assistance with bathing, dressing, meal preparation, etc. Individuals in this program live independently or with family members.

Each of the programs has eligibility requirements, such as Medicaid-eligibility, the need for immediate care, income requirements and more. The department also offers targeted case management. Through this program, participants receive assistance from a manager who helps identify personal needs, makes appropriate arrangements for care and monitors those services and the providers to ensure the quality and level of care. For more information about the Choices in Living programs, call (866) 801-3435. Representatives will need information about the potential participant’s needs, medical history, finances (income, total assets, home ownership, etc.) as well as other vital statistics.

The following list is not comprehensive. For a list of long-term care facilities — assisted living level one (fairly independent, without medical care) and level two (which provide medical and nursing care), visit arassitedliving.org or daas.ar.gov.

Briarwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

516 S. Rodney Parham Road

Little Rock, AR 72205

(501) 224-9000

briarwoodnursingandrehab.com

Butterfield Trail Village

1923 E. Joyce Blvd.

Fayetteville, AR 72703-5205

(800) 441-9996

butterfieldtrailvillage.com

Chenal Heights Assisted Living Center

One Chenal Heights Drive