Choosing the Right Senior Living Community

I’m often asked by families to explain the differences among senior living communities and health care facilities. It’s an important question.

We all want to age in place from the comfort of our own homes, and At Home With Van Dyk has so many amazing caregivers and nurses to help make that possible.

When personal health concerns become more pressing, families understandably want their loved ones to get the right care in the right place at the right time.

Van Dyk has a 70-year track record of serving seniors in such a wide range of care settings. So let’s take a look…

Assisted Living communities offer personalized care in a warm residential setting. At Van Dyk Park Place, that’s an understatement. Bob designed a truly stunning AL community on our main campus. ALs offer clinical staff such as licensed practical nurses, medication technicians and caregivers 24/7. RNs are available for clinical needs as well. Assisted living is a great option for seniors who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle and social engagement while having access to clinical support when needed.

Memory Care is on the rise with Alzheimer’s and dementia becoming our nation’s next epidemic. Van Dyk Park Place offers multiple neighborhood settings for our residents dealing with memory loss, supporting them with our award-winning staff and providing open areas for wandering and guidance. Van Dyk Memory Care Center offers adult day care at our charming Farmhouse for seniors who are still living at home with their loved ones. In all these settings, our staff are amazing at keeping our seniors active with walking, gardening, golfing/putting, light dancing, art and music therapy, tai chi, yoga and our Magic Table technology – all designed to carefully stimulate cognitive function, mobility and dexterity.

Independent Living provides a residential setting with other seniors, but without the nursing and supportive care normally received in Assisted Living. It’s truly best for people who are not facing any notable setbacks or challenges with their personal health. The biggest factor to consider is how long you can age in place in an IL setting.

Skilled nursing facilities provide short-term, post-acute care for patients who have recently been discharged from the hospital. These facilities are staffed by doctors, nurses and therapists who help patients with their physical recovery, ideally returning home quickly and safely. SNFs also offer long-term care options for patients who need ongoing nursing or therapy over an extended period.

Acute rehab is intense rehab for patients who have experienced a major medical trauma and need serious efforts to aid in recovery. Patients in acute rehab may receive up to 3-5 hours of rehab per day which a mix of speech, physical, occupational, and other acute therapies.

When deciding which care setting would be most appropriate, we encourage you to include multiple professionals (physicians, nurses, therapists and senior living experts) in your family discussions. Please speak with our wellness team about any questions or concerns you may have about senior living communities and health care facilities in in our surrounding area.