How To Make Supportive Living Your Home
Supportive Living can be a more affordable and a more appropriate senior living option than nursing homes or assisted living. To learn more about what sets Supportive Living apart, read the following.
What Supportive Living Is
Prior to 1997, although physical needs may not have dictated it, financial means often forced Illinois seniors into nursing homes – one of the only settings in which they could most readily receive financial assistance. Due to the visionary leadership of key Illinois state officials and pioneering providers like Pathway Senior Living, Illinois reallocated resources saved by designing a new and more appropriate affordable assisted living model known as Supportive Living
Much like assisted living, most Supportive Living communities are designed for seniors (those age 65 and over*) who are no longer able to live on their own safely, but do not require the high level of care provided in a nursing home. Assistance with medications, most activities of daily living (ADLs), meals and housekeeping are routinely provided. Three meals per day are provided in a central dining room. Residents live in their own private apartments with kitchenettes. Staff is available 24-hours per day for additional safety. Social programs and scheduled transportation are also available.
How is Supportive Living different from a nursing home?
Supportive Living is designed for individuals who don't need the 24-hour skilled nursing care delivered in nursing homes. Individuals residing in a Supportive Living community receive the assistance they need in an environment that strongly promotes personal control, independence and dignity. Each person lives in an apartment rather than a private or semi-private room typically found in nursing homes. In addition, Supportive Living offers a much more residential and independent lifestyle.
How is Supportive Living different from assisted living?
The difference between assisted living and supportive living in the state of Illinois is that, by providing services as outlined by the state, supportive living communities are able to offer a financial assistance program to their residents. Unlike typical assisted living programs, residents who qualify for the financial assistance program are able to stay at the supportive living community if and when personal funds are depleted.
How do residents benefit from Supportive Living?
Beyond these tangible aspects of offering shelter and services, Supportive Living offers residents an opportunity to act independently and preserve their autonomy as much as possible. In addition, Supportive Living residents benefit from a sense of community and feeling of camaraderie that living among peers and having the option to socialize on a regular basis offers. Supportive Living also offers residents and their loved ones the peace of mind that comes with knowing that a helping hand is ready should they need it.
Who can qualify for Supportive Living?
Illinois’ Supportive Living program is open to any person who:
- undergoes pre-admission screening to determine medical appropriateness.
- is without a primary or secondary diagnosis of developmental disability or serious and persistent mental illness.
- has had a tuberculosis test that indicates the absence of active tuberculosis.
- is not participating in any other federal home and community-based services waiver program.
Additional financial criteria may be applicable for those seeking residency at specific Supportive Living communities and for those seeking support through the Supportive Living financial assistance program.
* some supportive living programs are specifically designed for individuals 22-64 years old. Pathway communities are for individuals 65 and over.