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As F. Delmer Gorgen was preparing to leave the hospital following a second bout of pneumonia in three months, he was dreading the return home.
"I was so weak I couldn't do a thing. No housework, no cooking," says the 93-year-old Gorgen. "I was thinking I couldn't do any work."
Fortunately, Gorgen had another option. A nurse suggested he try a short stay at Atria Shaker, a senior living community in nearby Albany, N.Y.
Similar scenarios play out every day across the United States. And many seniors are coming to the same conclusion as Gorgen and signing up for a short stay at a seniors-only community.
The housing option is true to its name. Individuals
arrange for brief accommodations at seniors-only facilities where
they can recuperate with some on-site support, allow regular caregivers
a respite or check
out a facility to see if it would be a good choice for full-time
lodging down the road.
How short is short?
For folks not ready to surrender their total independence, but honest enough to admit they need some help, short-stay options are a good compromise. And they are becoming more prevalent at senior communities across the United States.
But just how short is short? That depends. Short-term stays run the gamut from two weeks to three months. The durations are determined by the individual facilities.
A resident can move into The
Garlands of Barrington in Barrington, Ill., for 30 to 90 days.
Newport Place, a Horizon Bay
Senior Community in Boynton Beach, Fla., offers three- to four-month
seasonal stays.
Comparing costs
Prices for short stays are as varied as the senior communities that offer the accommodations.
They range from $75 per day at Newport to $210 per day at The Garlands. In between, you'll find charges of $125 per day at an Atria community (the company has 121 facilities in 27 states, so the price may vary somewhat in different areas) and $150 per day at a Paradigm Senior Living community in Hawaii.
At Spring Meadows in Summit, N.J., expect to pay monthly
rates of $4,130 for a studio and $5,280 for a one-bedroom. These
prices include three meals a day, weekly housekeeping and laundry
services and assistance with two activities of daily living.
Long-term care insurance will cover short stays, provided the insured person meets the qualifications that activate the policy, says Tom Walters, owner of Walters & Associates Insurance Services in Greenwood, Ind.
For instance, a person with a broken hip who is hospitalized for three days or more and then moves into a facility for a short stay will be covered by long-term care insurance. But someone who moves into a facility briefly simply to "check it out" will not be covered by the long-term care policy.
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