Many different types of living communities are available for seniors, including those offering specialized care services. But with any living situation, it’s essential for people to feel loved, valued, and at home! The best environment for seniors — and people of any age — is personalized and homelike, and this is what residential care homes like St. Anthony’s aim to provide.
If you’re interested in learning more about options for senior care in Kansas City or are curious whether a residential care home is right for you, keep reading!
What is a Residential Care Home?
A residential care home, or residential care facility, is a type of care facility that offers services and support to seniors who live full-time on the campus. Residential care homes may offer many different levels of care or may be focused on a specific need, like memory care. St. Anthony’s is a residential care facility that offers three lifestyle options based on need and preference, from completely independent living to 24/7 memory care.
The goal of a residential care home is to provide long-term care, so creating an environment that is both comfortable and familiar is essential. Care is about more than physical well-being; it also includes the emotional, mental, and spiritual health of the resident!
Residential Care vs. Other Senior Living Options
Residential care is a term that can broadly apply to any type of living community that offers long-term care, but we like to think of it as more nuanced than that. While nursing homes and other medical facilities may offer long-term care, for example, they aren’t providing the same homelike environment that residents will experience in a true residential care home.
Aging at Home and Age-Restricted Communities
If a senior is looking for a homelike environment, why not just stay at home? While it is possible for a senior to age at home and receive all the care they need, this can be much more expensive and difficult to coordinate than living in a community with everything a senior could want or need.
Aging at home can also end up being very isolating. Seniors at home may have difficulty moving around, forcing them to stay home alone more often than not. They may lose their spouse and be living all alone with the occasional visit from family or a medical care provider. Residential care allows seniors to bring home with them into a new living situation that provides for their needs — including the need to feel a sense of home and familiarity.
Nursing Homes and Skilled Nursing Facilities
Nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities are two other senior care facilities that may be treated as synonymous with residential care homes. Still, the environments tend to be much more clinical than residential care. These more hospice-like environments may be fine for short-term, temporary care situations, but they don’t offer the same level of comfort and enjoyment that seniors can get in a residential care home!
How St. Anthony’s Creates a Homelike Environment for Seniors
At St. Anthony’s Senior Living, we’re passionate about cultivating a loving community in a comforting environment where everyone feels right at home. Here are just a few of the ways we ensure our residents consider St. Anthony’s a home rather than just a care facility:
Comfortable, Private Apartments
While private living quarters aren’t the only thing needed to make a place home, it’s still important for each person to have a space to call their own! Every resident at St. Anthony’s has their very own spacious apartment all to themselves (and their spouse, if applicable). Our apartments come outfitted with everything residents need to live comfortably plus plenty of space to decorate and furnish according to their style and personality.
Personalized Care and Support
Every person is unique, and that includes their care needs and preferences! Senior care should always be personally tailored to each individual resident, and that’s exactly what we do at St. Anthony’s. Residents are encouraged to practice as much autonomy as possible while receiving empowering support from experienced care staff. Some assisted living residents may require support with most of the activities of daily living, while others may only need assistance with one or two daily tasks. This focus on the individuality of each resident rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach makes the entire culture at St. Anthony’s one of love, support, and family.
Engaging, Loving Community
No home is a home without family, but not all family is blood-related! Residents at St. Anthony’s love one another deeply, cultivating friendships and bonds to last a lifetime with a welcoming spirit to all newcomers. Our staff adore each resident and treat them like family. We encourage this familial mindset by filling the calendar with engaging activities and opportunities to connect, but there is also just a beautiful home-like culture that our residents and staff have come together to create!
Family Involvement
Moving to a new living situation is difficult for anyone, and it can be especially hard on seniors with close relationships with their families. That’s why one of our key signatures in memory care is family partnerships! We want families to feel comfortable here just as their loved ones do, and encourage them to join a meal at St. Elizabeth’s Bistro or come to a movie night once in a while to be a part of their loved one’s new home. Together, you can help us turn this senior living community into a true home for your loved one after they move here!
Welcome Home!
St. Anthony’s isn’t just a place to keep you safe and secure. It’s not an apartment complex or a hospital. If we could describe ourselves in one word, that word would be home! And we cannot wait to welcome you to our family. Contact us to learn more and schedule a tour today!
