For many years in our country, it was the responsibility of the family to care for an elderly loved one. If someone didn’t have a family that could take care of them, they often would go to a county poor house for care.

By the middle of the 20th century, the length of time that care was required for many seniors had increased significantly due to the medical field’s improvements. This was especially true after the development of penicillin. People across the country began to live longer. Also, during this time more women began working outside the home, leaving fewer people at home to care for the elderly, so more boarding homes were created.

In 1965 Medicare and Medicaid were created. This meant that counties no longer had to shoulder the financial burden of elder care.  The poor houses and boarding homes were converted into nursing homes to get the federal dollars now available. New facilities were constructed following a very institutional “hospital-like” design and were not warm and home-like as the boarding homes had been.

This nursing home model is the only one that many seniors now needing care know. I often hear “I’m not going to a nursing home!”, or “I couldn’t possibly put my mother in a nursing home.” Fortunately, very few need nursing home, or skilled nursing facility, care. What they need is assistance, and the assistance is available in many different forms today, including home care, adult family homes, and assisted living/memory care communities.

The Birth of the Assisted Living Concept

The assisted living concept appeared in the mid-1970s, primarily driven by Dr. Keren Brown Wilson, who wanted to create a residential option for seniors needing assistance but wanting to maintain their independence for as long as possible. She envisioned a model that promoted autonomy, respect and individualized care; where residents would have control over their schedules, personal spaces and daily routines. In 1983, the first modern assisted living community opened, and by 1988, a community in Oregon became the first officially licensed assisted living community serving Medicaid patients.

Adult care has grown exponentially since its humble beginnings, sprouting tens of thousands of residencies across the U.S., each having their own unique specialties and atmospheres. As of February 2024, there were approximately 36,000 assisted living communities with roughly 1.2 million beds in the U.S.

About 1.4% of seniors in the U.S. currently live in assisted living communities and the average length of stay is 22 months. About seven out of 10 people will need assisted living care at some point in their lives, either at home or in a community. The demand for senior care is expected to grow by nearly 80% by 2030 and double by 2040. To meet this demand, the U.S. will need nearly 1 million new senior living units.

Here in Washington, as of April 2024:

– there were over 400 independent living communities for healthy seniors to choose from with costs from $550 to $4,950/month

– there were over 1,300 assisted living communities throughout the state priced from $1,000 to over $10,000/month

– there were over 800 memory care communities with the average cost ranging from $1,450 to $13,050/month

When Is It Time for Assisted Living?

There are many different reasons why seniors may move to an assisted living community. Here are just a few:

– Access to health care

– Nutritious meals and healthy lifestyle

– Car when needed

– Socialization opportunities

– Increasing mobility issues

– Difficulty managing medications

– Engaging community activities

– Support with activities of daily living (dressing, bathing, etc.)

– Transportation

– Safe environment

If you have been considering a move, or suspect that it might be time for someone you care about to look at senior living communities, please follow this link for our free resource, Five Signs It’s Time To Look For Senior Housing and reach out for a free consultation.