Learning About Assisted Living
What are common reasons to consider assisted living?
Joining an assisted living community is a personal decision for individuals and their families. Some common reasons why individuals consider assisted living are:
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Difficulty preparing healthy meals, and sometimes missing meals
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Desire at times for help with personal care, such as showering or bathing
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Finding it challenging to keep the house clean
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No longer willing to do yard work and maintain the house
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Not feeling comfortable driving to shop, go to church, get the mail, run errands, go out with friends
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Sometimes forgetting to take medication
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Forgetting to do important things, like pay bills
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Feeling lonely and longing for more companionship and easy access to social activities
We solve these challenges for individuals who live at our assisted living home. Residents are able to live with a lot of independence because staff prepare meals and relieve individuals of household burdens such as shopping, preparing meals, cleaning, and doing laundry. In addition, when needed, staff provide additional personal support tailored to each individual’s needs.
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We also make it easy to participate in a wide range of activities, making life more enjoyable on a daily basis. La Veta Village provides in-house activities for residents such as physical exercise, gardening, book clubs, and arts and crafts. Staff, volunteers, and partner organizations collaborate to provide activities desired by our residents. In a small family-based residence like La Veta Village, residents play a large role in determining what activities they would like to access. In addition, we are within a few blocks of a wide range of services and activities in the Town of La Veta, ranging from coffee shops, churches, shopping, a library, fitness center, hairdresser, fine and casual dining.
What are other benefits of assisted living?
Assisted living programs, including La Veta Village, provide other important benefits:
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On site 24-hour care, and ready access to emergency services if needed (La Veta’s ambulance service is a 2 blocks away)
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Individualized care plans – live as independently as you are able, with only the support you need and want
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Medicine administration by a qualified professional to ensure you get your prescriptions and take medicines as required
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Coordination with families and other health care professionals to ensure needs are met
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Partnership with County/Other services for transportation and other services
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Partnership with home help agencies and hospice to help obtain additional care as needed
Affordability – How do I pay for assisted living or other support?
The nonprofit website assistedliving.org reports the following average costs for Colorado for 2020:
“The monthly median cost of assisted living in Colorado is $4,000, which is right at the national average. The state median cost of assisted living is less expensive than most other types of long-term care except independent living, which does not offer much assistance with activities of daily living. Nursing home care is the most expensive at almost $8,000 a month for a semi-private room, and independent living is the cheapest at $2,570.”
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Many assisted living residents cover this cost by drawing on savings and investments, or through long-term care insurance policies. Veterans may have access to benefits that help cover monthly fees. The State of Colorado has a Medicaid waiver program called Health First Colorado that can provide support for some residents. See the How to Apply page section on financial planning for more detail, and links to other information sources.
