A Life Care community or Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) is an attractive option for aging adults, though often times the price is a deterrent. However, you should not look at the price tag without considering all of the benefits that come with Life Care. If the ultimate goal in life planning is to make a plan that looks after both your physical and financial health, then Life Care is a must. If you are concerned about affording a Life Care community, here are 5 helpful tips to guide you in the planning process when considering if the cost of Life Care is in your budget.
1: Calculate and create a budget
Let’s start with organizing your finances and come up with a budget. We have created an interactive Cost Comparison Worksheet as a simple tool to help tally up your monthly expenses and compare it to the cost of an all-inclusive lifestyle at St. Mark Village. Do the math and you will be surprised at how affordable Life Care is.
2: Consider the peace of mind that comes with Life Care
- Care for Life. At a Life Care community, such as St. Mark Village — you will have peace of mind knowing that if you ever need Assisted Living, Memory Care, Skilled Nursing, or Rehab in the future, you’ll know where you’ll receive it and who will provide it.
- Financial Subsidy for Life at St. Mark Village. With Life Care, you are guaranteed a home regardless of any changes with your finances. In other words, should your resources run out, you’ll never be asked to leave, or to settle for less care than you truly need.
To put it plainly, Life Care at St. Mark Village gives you the unwavering confidence that care will always be available whenever you need it. You’ll be free to focus on the things that make you feel happy and fulfilled, secure in the knowledge that everything is already taken care of. And you’ll have continuing, unfettered access to all the amenities, services and other exciting opportunities that make Life Care at St. Mark Village an ideal place to live.
3: Factor in future expenses without Life Care
When you are approaching an advanced age, living on your own at home is not as simple as just paying the mortgage. You will have a whole host of other expenses. These can range from home health care to services such as landscaping that you don’t want to do or can’t do on your own.
Even if you do not need home health care right now, you will likely need some help in the future. The cost for these services is increasing and you can count on paying much more than the current price when these services are needed. Try to be objective and simply account for the fact that your needs will change as you age, and home-based services will get more expensive, both due to inflation and your greater needs.
Keep in mind, you’ll need to bear the cost of your own utilities when living at home. These increase over time, too. At St. Mark Village, a Life Care community, they are included in your costs. In Florida, these costs add up quickly every time you run your air conditioner. The same goes for many of the costs of incidentals that you would need to pay if living independently, such as dealing with Florida’s hurricane season. No mess or stress for St. Mark Village Residents.
4: Compare to other levels of care
The other comparison you may be making is a comparison of the cost of a Life Care community to other levels of care such as assisted living. Here, St. Mark Village compares favorably for you or your loved one.
Assisted living is just one step on the care continuum. Seniors would generally remain in assisted living until their medical situation changed to the point where they would need more focused care such as memory care or skilled nursing.
Typically, an assisted living facility is not eligible for Medicaid payments. Accordingly, you would be using your own money to pay for it. With that in mind, you would need to consider life expectancy in an assisted living space. If you run out of money during your lifetime, you would need to move elsewhere. This is not the case with Life Care at St. Mark Village!
Not only must you factor in the average length of stay in assisted living, but you must also budget out for a longer than average stay. The last thing that you want is to have to move because the money runs out and you can no longer afford it.
5: Value the non-monetary factors
In a Life Care community, the demographics generally feature a wide age range of people living longer and richer lives. The reduced stress of living in a safe community focused on wellness of the whole person – body, mind, and spirit, cannot be measured in dollars and cents. The love, compassion, and support for one another in a family like environment makes life at St. Mark Village so special. These non-monetary factors make Life Care the preferable option for both Residents and their families.
You deserve the peace of mind that Life Care at St. Mark Village provides! When the time is right, reach out to our Sales Counselors who are standing by to guide you through the financial process. Your life plan must benefit your physical and financial health, and St. Mark Village can help. Call now for more information: (727) 464-1750.
