Retirement can be an exciting time, a relaxing time, or a contemplative time, but like all parts of our lives it brings with it its own challenges and goals to accomplish. As we age, we eventually find ourselves in need of assistance with our living arrangements. Fixed incomes, faltering health, and decreasing mobility can all impair our ability to function on our own. There is no getting around it – eventually we all will almost certainly need some kind of help.

San Diego is one of the more vibrant communities in the American Southwest, and it doubles as a good place for senior citizens in need of help with their living arrangements. Whether you simply need some partial assistance in a retirement community, a full-functioning assisted living home, or a hospice arrangement in your twilight days, San Diego has many benefits for the senior and retired members of its community.

Assisted Living in San Diego

The term assisted living brings up images of group retirement homes with nurses dictating every part of the day’s activities, but in reality assisted living has many facets. You can find an assisted living facility to suit your needs, abilities, and preferences all over the San Diego area.

As some examples:

Emeritus At Clairemont

Emeritus demonstrates the spectrum of options for assisted living arrangements, all in one facility. Residents can choose from independent or assisted living options to start. Independent living arrangements allow for living more or less on your own terms, with a modest degree of input and help from the staff, so you know if there is every a problem you have someone there to help out. Assisted living residents can look forward to assistance with everything from tidying up, meals, bathing, and transportation, as well as a vibrant activities calendar. For those with specialized needs, Emeritus offers Alzheimer’s and Long Term Care packages as well.

Atria Collwood

Atria is another facility in the San Diego area, and offers its own slate of amenities for those in need of living assistance. For example, they offer meals in a community restaurant arrangement, meaning residents don’t have to dine alone. Each apartment is equipped with an emergency call system, and day to day assistance with chores and other activities is always at-hand.

Hospice Care in San Diego

Dying is an unpleasant topic, but it comes to everyone. Arrangements for end-of-days care is an important measure to take. You want to be comfortable in your final arrangements, and looking for a hospice is a part of that.

As an example:

Silverado Hospice Care San Diego

Silverado offers the variety of services a good hospice should include. They have a trained palliative care staff to help with comfort and pain management. They offer bereavement counseling to family members when a resident passes. They also engage the services of a number of student interns, young and eager to learn and help.

Assisted Living Waiver

As a note, California also offers the assisted living waiver program (ALWP) to certain qualified residents. Medi-Cal beneficiaries who either a – live in a recognized Elder Care Facility, or b – reside in state sponsored housing; receive access to assisted living services. This is an attractive option for retirees who desire living assistance, but either cannot afford or do not wish to relocate from their home to an assisted living facility. It is not an option for everyone, being aimed primarily at people in difficult financial situations, but it is an avenue that retirees should consider pursuing.

As an example, a retiree who lives in a retirement community that does not specifically offer full assisted care but is designated for elder living would receive:

• 24 – Hour on call staff
• Meal Assistance
• Skilled Nursing Care

These are only a few of the benefits covered by the waiver, but they illustrate its purpose and advantages quite well.

In short, San Diego is a beautiful, wonderful Southern California city to retire in. Whether you need extended assisted living assistance or end-of-life hospice care, there is a San Diego facility and an option for you to take.