AFS Chicago - Spring/Summer 2024

Adult Day Services Adult day service centers provide a coordinated program of professional and compassionate services for adults in a community-based group setting. Services are designed to provide social and some health services to adults who need supervised care in a safe place outside the home during the day. They also afford caregivers respite from the demanding responsibilities of caregiving. Adult day centers generally operate during normal business hours five days a week. Some programs offer services in the evenings and on weekends. Although each facility may differ in terms of features, the general services offered by most adult day centers are social activities, transportation, meals and snacks, personal care and therapeutic activities. Home Care and Services Home Care is a cost-effective alternative to hospital care or other institutional care. You can receive health care or personal care services within your own home with the assistance of a home care agency. Services are available to people of all ages on a basis of daily visits, monthly visits, or hourly care, up to 24-hours a day. Increasingly, older people are choosing to live independent lives and take advantage of home care services. Services can include medical and non-medical care such as assisting with shopping, laundry, meals and companionship. Hospice Hospice is special care designed to provide compassion and support for individuals in the final phase of a terminal illness. Hospice care seeks to enable patients to spend their last days with dignity in as comfortable and pain- free manner as possible. Hospice Care can be in a number of settings: in the privacy of your home, in a hospice facility or a nursing home. Continuing Care Communities Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC), also known as Life Care Communities and Life Plan Communities, are residential campuses that provide a continuum of care - from apartments/homes to assisted living and if needed, skilled nursing care, all in one location. CCRC communities range in entrance fees/rates and available services. Senior Apartments Senior apartments are independent apartments that are age restricted - starting at 55 or 62 years of age. Some senior apartment communities may have an on-site meal program (generally no more than one meal per day) and housekeeping services available at a separate cost. There are federal and state programs that help pay for this level of housing for seniors with low to moderate income. Rent payments are usually a percentage of income or a pre-adjusted low income rate for those that qualify. Many of these communities include amenities such as a club house/meeting room, library, laundry facilities, beauty/barber shop, transportation, fitness center, etc. Some may also offer a Service Coordinator to assist in procuring additional services. Other types of Active Senior Communities exist, including single family homes, condominiums or mobile homes. continued on next page A Variety of Alternatives for A Variety of Senior Needs description of alternatives 6 Please say “We Found You in Alternatives for Seniors ” , Spring/Summer 2024