How to Select a Senior Citizen Apartment Complex for Your Aging Parent

A viable option for senior citizen parents that enables them to still maintain their independence while providing you some comfort that there will be people to look in on them and be aware of their activities is a senior citizen apartment complex.

Make no mistake, this is not a nursing home or assisted living. Your senior citizen parent must be able to live independently for the most part with a modicum of assistance from others to perform their daily routine. Senior citizen apartment complexes are subsidized by the government, resulting in the monthly rent to be a percentage of their monthly income. This makes senior citizen apartment complexes very affordable for seniors living on a fixed income.

My father came to live with my family three months ago after the death of my stepmother. He is now ready to move on to the next chapter of his life. Although up there in years, thankfully, my father is in excellent health and able to live independently. While discussing the options of his future living arrangements, my family came to the conclusion that a senior citizen apartment complex would be the ideal living situation for him. My brother and I toured several such facilities and finally settled on one that I am confident he will be happy and secure in.

If you find yourself in this situation within your family, take advantage of the legwork I have already done and keep these points in mind while selecting a senior citizen apartment complex for your aging parent.

Check The Exterior Lighting Of The Senior Citizen Apartment Complex. Safety should be a top priority as senior citizens are vulnerable to crime. Several senior citizen apartment complexes I toured had very poor lighting in the exterior of the apartment building. I was not comfortable with these locations as they appeared to be prime targets for a mugging or robbery. I was also concerned about trips and falls that could occur with such poor lighting on the outside of the building. Keep this in mind especially if your senior citizen parent has occasional trouble walking or navigating steps. The senior citizen apartment complex we decided on has adequate lighting in front of the building where the main entrance is and also in the tenant parking lot.

Research The Recreation Facilities And Activities. Some senior citizen complexes have community rooms and scheduled weekly activities. The senior citizen complex where my father is going to be living has a well stocked library with computers, a recreation room with televisions and also weekly bus trips to Atlantic City. The recreation room is also the area where the senior citizen tenants hold occasional talent shows and have outside entertainers come in for holiday affairs.

Check The Individual Units For Safety Features. I was very pleased to see several safety features that are available in the units of my father's senior citizen complex. There are medical alert cords attached to the ceiling in the bathroom and bedroom of his apartment. Should my father have a fall, or suffer any other medical emergency, he needs only to pull on the cord and an ambulance will be dispatched immediately to the apartment complex. There are also hand rails in the bathroom which he does not need of yet, but may in the future.

Inquire About Additional Services Available To The Tenants Of The Senior Citizen Complex. Some senior citizen apartment complexes have access to privatized housecleaning services which is something I was concerned about. At my father's age, I certainly don't want him to have to scrub his bathtub or mop his floor. There is also a Meals On Wheels program available which will ensure he will have a hot dinner every night without the bother of cooking. A social worker checks in and periodically evaluates the tenants of the senior citizen complex to see if their physical or mental capacities have diminished. The family
will then be notified of the facility is no longer appropriate for their individual situation.

Make Sure You Get A Warm And Positive Feeling From The Administrators Of The Senior Citizen Complex. I have no doubt this is a demanding and difficult job, but several administrators I spoke to did not reassure me that my father's needs and concerns would be addressed with patience and compassion. Those places were immediately ruled out. The woman that runs the facility where my father will be living soon is a kind and caring woman that I liked immediately. I am confident that she will treat my father with respect and compassion.

Aging parents want to retain their sense of independence for as long as possible. I am thankful that my father has the option of living in a cheerful, safe environment that will not cost him an arm and a leg to live there. Senior Citizen apartment complexes are a wonderful option for aging parents that can still live on their own, but require just a little looking after and plenty of socialization.