Short stays can be long on senior care
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Short-stay benefits
Once you determine a short stay is the right stay, be sure to take advantage of the arrangement's amenities. One of the prime advantages of moving into a senior community, even for a limited time, is increased interaction.

In the dining room at a Capital Senior Living facility (the company has 64 communities in 23 states), residents meet people immediately and begin to socialize, says Rob Goodpaster, vice president of marketing at the company's Dallas headquarters.

"During a short stay you can close the door and be in your own world, but right outside the door is just about anything that you'd want to do," Goodpaster says.

At one of the 440 Sunrise Senior Living communities found worldwide, short-stay residents get triple the dining hall chances to socialize since the facility offers three meals a day. Residents can also participate in other activities and take advantage of transportation.

Short-stay shortcomings
But short stays have their drawbacks, too. Most communities offer them based on availability, so they may not be easy to arrange. And when they are possible, the admissions procedures can be daunting.

All Atria communities require a physician's statement. Spring Meadows Summit, a Capital Senior Living community, calls for an assessment by the facility's own nurse to be certain the prospective resident's needs can be met.

To justify the amount of paperwork involved, which typically is the same as required for applicants seeking permanent residency, Balfour Senior Care in Louisville, Colo., requires a minimum stay of two weeks. Doctors' orders, contracts and discharge formalities also must be addressed.

Moving for the right reason
Since a short-stay decision is not one to be made lightly, it's important that it be made for the right reasons, which are as varied as the residents.

Medical recovery, as in Gorgen's case, is a common motive. Some short-term residents of Spring Meadows Summit arrive following hospitalizations or rehabilitation, says Mary Majors, executive director of the New Jersey facility.

"They are really independent, but have had a hip replacement or broken arm," says Majors. "They aren't quite sure this is where they want to live, but they aren't strong enough to go home."

Other short stays are for the benefit not of the senior, but to provide care when regular caregivers go out of town.

There even are some short-stay lodgings for vacationers. Boynton Beach's Newport Place offers three- to-four month seasonal stays for snowbirds seeking Florida warmth, says Linda Goldman, director of community relations.

And senior travel groups visiting Hawaii have been offered short stays at Roselani Place in Maui, a Paradigm Senior Living community.

Short stays also work well for people already living in retirement communities. For instance, a resident of one Sunrise Senior Living community can stay briefly at another Sunrise facility while attending an out-of-town event, says company spokesman Jamison Gosselin.

Time to transition
Other seniors are doing quite well but use a short stay to preview community living.

As they realize the time is approaching when they'll need help with cooking and transportation, many older individuals become very proactive, says Pat Price, regional vice president of Atria Senior Living Group in Louisville, Ky. They choose a community and check it out in advance.