Assisted Living: Services for Family Members

How to Use This Assisted Living Family Guide

Foremost on the minds of caregivers and family members is the desire to give the loved one as much autonomy and dignity as possible while ensuring proper care and safety. It can be challenging to find a senior assisted living situation that meets your needs in the location and setting you prefer. But it can be even more challenging to maintain an open, loving relationship with your loved one throughout the process.

If you are searching for assisted living services for your loved one, this section is for you. We hope to empower you to make positive choices for her while enjoying a healthy life of your own, managing finances with foresight, and providing her with an atmosphere most conducive to her preferred lifestyle.

Navigating Assisted Living Services

Even part-time caregivers spend an average of 4.5 to nearly 12 hours per week providing direct care to aging parents.* When these tasks become too much for you, or your loved one’s needs become too large for you to meet, it’s time to start looking into assisted living services.


For more detailed information and helpful care checklists, see more family resource articles:

• Knowing when Assisted Living Services are Needed
• Choosing Between Senior Assisted Living Options
• Questions to Ask About Assisted Living

For a glossary of senior living terms, as well as helpful articles about choosing senior care for yourself or others, please see our Assisted Living Communities Information section.

Paying for Senior Assisted Living

One of the most challenging aspects of choosing senior care for your loved one is managing finances. Some facilities charge flat rates while others use an a la carte pricing structure. Balancing a limited amount of funds with your parent’s fluctuating or increasing needs will be easier for you if you understand the basics of Medicare, Medicaid, retirement funds, reverse mortgages and other senior care financing staples.

Learn more in our Assisted Living Costs Breakdown article.

Other articles on this topic:

• Medicaid Assisted Living
• Medicare Assisted Living
• Long-Term Care Insurance

How to Talk to Your Loved One

Finding an appropriate level of care for your loved one while respecting her desires can become a balancing act that increases strain at an already stressful time. Let us help you with some tips to keeping strong ties of love and communication during and after your loved one’s transition into assisted living services.

Knowing how and when to address the long-term care decision is a complicated task. Get help deciding by reading our article, Talking to Your Loved One about Senior Assisted Living.

Source: * National Alliance for Caregiving