[trapperjohn]

The TV website mentions that there are "senior living facilities" in or near TV. What are they like? Are the more for short term or long term care?

That also brings up a related question.....when TV residents can no longer live by themselves (for a variety of reasons), can the move to this "senior living facility" or do they normally leave TV?

[tghoul]

Sumter Place located on 466A is an assisted living facility opening in late July.
If you pay the monthly amenities fee you can still have access to the pools, executive golf courses, rec centers, etc.

[NotGolfer]

Don't forget Freedom Pointe over in SS. It's a "graduated" facility. As for when you get old(er)...will you leave The Villages---guess that decision would be up to you and your caregivers (family members more than likely).

[jane032657]

I am moving my mom into Steeplechase in the back of WalMart when we come down, it is not assisted living, it is a retirement home just outside of TV and serves three meals a day, has some activities, a bus, a pool, and there is a health care agency that you can hire to assist with care needs such as a shower assist. They are also building a new retirement home just like it, same company, right behind it. Retirement homes are good for no levels of care through some heavier duty care with an outside health care agency contracted, but you really have to be able to be mobile to get to meals, etc.
Assisted livings are different and some provide higher levels of care so you do not have to move unless you need care that is more intensive and requires hospitalization. Other assisted livings do less personal care and you have to move once you need a certain level of care. It is important to understand this and know exactly what the parameters are as well as the price points. Also it is better to find an assisted living that has a separate memory care community in case of dementia or alzheimers.
I have run two high end and high care assisted livings here in the Seattle area.
Here is my best advice once you find a few places you like.
Ask about staff retention, ie how much turnover is there in the administrator and the caregivers? Caregivers become critical to the residents and some places have a high turnover rate, this makes for an unstable property. Staff who stick around do so because they are treated well and compensated fairly, it is HARD work.
Second, talk to families who have their loved ones there and find out what they love about the care facility and what issues they have encountered.
Last, get the ear of some residents who seem engaged. They will give you more info than you may have been looking for.
Oh, and negotiate any move in fee. Assisted livings have targets to meet, it is a sales job to get you in there. Nothing wrong with that as they want you to love their property best. But some will charge you a lot for a move in fee. It is usually negotiable and "specials" often happen such a reduced or forgiven move in fee, particulary if they are having a slow month. Look for incentives as well as "refer a friend" bonuses.
You can PM me if you have questions.

[bimmertl]

The State of Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) has a site which enables you to search for different types of facilities within a certain distance from your zip code. It then lists the facilities. You can click on the facility name and get more information including recent inspection reports that were done by AHCA. Normally AHCA does annual inspections of all licensed facilities such as assisted living and nursing homes. Here's the link and you can usually figure out how to use the site. Just put in the Villages zip code, click on the type of facility you wish to locate and the distance from the Villages and go from there.


FloridaHealthFinder.gov | Connecting Florida with Health Care Information

[Wing-nut2]

I know several who live at Steeplechase. It's a beautiful facility, but the food isn't the best. Everyone there complains about it. Try it for yourself before you move in.

[jane032657]

Food is a challenge in senior facilities as I know from being an Administrator at a few. First, taste buds change as we age. Second, no salt or much flavoring in the food at senior homes. Three, it is mostly women and we for the most part like our own cooking best. Four, food becomes the focus sadly for many in senior facilities because meal time is the social time and most interactive time, and with food as the main activity, it is open to a lot of critisism. Fifth, it is hard to find creative head cooks at senior homes because the pay is not great, the hours are intensely long, the demands and constant complaints, combined with tight food budgets, make it often not a fun job.
I recently had my mom stay at a Sunrise Senior Living here in the Seattle area (which I originally opened). When I picked her up on her last day, it was breakfast and I sat at her table while she ate. One woman sent her egg back two times because the edges of the white had some brown on them and she wanted the white perfectly white. I had to say it was quite a fuss. That is often what I experienced as an Administrator and everyone definitely has their right to complain, I am just stating food is a problem even at five star assisted livings that cost up to $10,000 a month for full care.