Cypress Assisted Living Blog

How to Stretch Your Assisted Living Dollars

An option many people don’t know about when considering placing their loved one in an assisted living home is the option of using a “residential care home.”  Residential care homes offer most of the services larger institutional assisted living communites do but usually at a lower cost.  In Texas, residential care homes are licensed under the same “assisted living” license as larger communities.  The regulations are slightly different if you are licensed for less than seventeen beds, but basically they are the same.  Residential care homes offer a more homey setting where your loved one can develop relationships with other residents as well as the caregivers.

Our research shows the larger institutional settings  begin around $4,500 per month and increase up to about $7,000 per month, depending on the level of care required.  Most residential care homes start with semi-private rooms beginning from the low $2,000’s and up.

When researching a setting for your loved one, you may experience some facilities charge more for different levels of care.  To get a better idea of exact pricing, look for a community which charges a flat fee rather than increasing costs for increased care.  You can know your monthly expenses this way.  Otherwise, you may think your loved one doesn’t need assistance walking or getting to the toilet but a community may disagree and charge more for these services.

If you chose the residential care option and get a private room for $3,500 instead of $5,000 which a larger institution may charge, your savings  will last much longer.  If you only have $250,000 for assisted living expenses, at $5,000 it will only last 4.17 years.  If you are in a residential care home at the rate of $3,500, that same money will last 5.95 years.  Your money will last 42% longer in that residential care setting.

Check to make sure the residential care home is licensed before placing your loved one there.  If they are licensed, they probably are required to have a fire sprinkler system and smoke detectors, monitored twenty four hours a day.  In Texas, it is illegal to care for more than three residents who are not related to the caregiver.  If they don’t follow the rules, I would be very cautious placing your loved one there.

Good luck in your search.  If we can answer any questions, just holler.