Wichita Assisted Living

Seniors considering making the transition from your current home into an assisted living situation can have many questions. When you make this change you might be wondering about costs, what to expect on a normal day, and how to find the right place for you. In Wichita, monthly assisted living fees are lower than national averages, and there are over two dozen properties to choose from. Here are some helpful tips to consider about what’s available in the Wichita area.

What does assisted living cost in Dallas?

Wichita enjoys more affordable monthly costs than the national median for assisted living. Nationally, seniors can expect to pay on average $3,600 per month, but in the Wichita area, the average cost is only $2,167 monthly.

How much you will pay varies quite a bit by location and the type of accommodations you’re looking for. SeniorAdvisor.com currently has listings for providers in the Wichita area ranging from $1,805 for a studio apartment at the highly-rated Sedgwick Plaza to $5,500 monthly for a private studio at Gracious Senior Living by Bethel House. There are many options to choose from between those two price points.

How to decide which is the assisted living fit for you

There are many different options available when choosing an assisted living facility. Some cater to a specific faith while others may offer luxury options like a pool and spa on the premises. In Wichita, there are a number of pet-friendly facilities like SeniorAdvisor Best of 2016 Award Winner Brookedale Tallgrass, that will allow your cat or dog to live with you. The most important step is deciding what is crucial to you in assisted living. From there it’s easy to compare choices in the Wichita area and find the facility with the qualities that are most important.

How to find an assisted living facility in Wichita

After you’ve determined what characteristics you’re looking for in an assisted living community, do a bit of research to compile a list of possible options. It’s helpful to ask for recommendations from people you know like relatives, neighbors, and friends, and then search online for reviews of those communities and other well-rated options. It may also be helpful to look for a senior living advisor in your area who, much like a real estate advisor, can take your preferences into consideration and help you find a residence that matches what you’re looking for and your budget. Finally, consider reaching out to an organization like Senior Services of Wichita for additional resources on assisted living options in the area.

Once you’ve narrowed down your list, it’s time to visit the facilities that may be a good fit. Take a tour of the facility, and be sure to bring along a notebook or a checklist to keep track of important details. Good questions to ask include: What’s covered in the monthly fee? What additional services are available for a cost? Are there additional care options available at the facility in case your needs change over time? SeniorAdvisor has an extremely helpful Assisted Living Checklist with a list of questions to ask when touring a potential facility, along with other helpful tips on how to fund care and manage the move into assisted living.

Paying for assisted living

The monthly costs associated with assisted living can seem surprisingly high at first. However, most people find that, compared to the costs of staying at home and paying utilities, property taxes, insurance, and for someone to help in the home, the costs are often very similar, if not less. In many cases, you’ll be selling your current home when you make the move to assisted living, and that funding can be used to pay for the new accommodations. If selling your home isn’t an option, there are other resources to help pay for assisted living.

The most common source of assistance is the federal-state program, Medicaid. Medicaid pays for more than half of the nursing home care in the state of Kansas, and is available to seniors who need care who have low-income and limited assets. The funding is available through an application process, and if approved for one of the managed-care plans, you could be entitled to benefits beyond the standard Medicare program. To better understand if you are eligible, or to apply for the Kansas Medicaid program, visit the Kansas Medical Assistance Program web page.

The VA Aid & Attendance pension is an option to assist with care funding that is available to veterans, and their widows, who served for a minimum of one day during wartime. It isn’t necessary to have fought in combat to qualify, only to have served, and due to federal rules, you might find the span of time defined as wartime is longer than the actual battle. Reach out to the Wichita regional benefits office to determine if you qualify and to apply for aid. Know that the approval process can take months, but once approved the pension will be retroactive back to the date of the application.

A long-term care insurance policy is another option for funding assisted living costs. Seniors with this type of policy should contact their carrier or agent to get a summary of the benefits and coverage. Be sure to ask questions to understand what the policy pays for, if there are any exclusions or limits, and how to best keep the policy current to continue funding the care. If an older adult develops a serious illness or memory loss it’s possible they could let their policy lapse, which can create a financial strain. It’s best to have a plan in place to ensure this doesn’t happen.

There are other possibilities to consider to pay for assisted living care, including taking out a reverse mortgage, or taking the cash value of a life insurance policy. With each option, there are impacts on your taxes and assets, and they can affect long-term financial plans. Enlist the help of a trusted financial advisor, tax professional or an attorney specializing in assets and estates to help you make a decision. It’s important to remember that traditional Medicare, health insurance, and worker’s compensation insurance policies will not help pay for assisted living.

These are the basic things to know when considering assisted living as an option in Wichita. You will likely want to do more research as you plan for this transition, and SeniorAdvisor has put together comprehensive information to help you discover award-winning care providers who offer exactly what you’re looking for in your community.