Sometimes, it is not as if older people may not live alone by themselves, but that they do not have a residence on which they can really count. Senior living arrangements may be a tricky subject indeed. In the event elder members of society can neither afford their current domicile nor live with their kin, they may be charged with finding a different space to call their own.

At the same time, however, there is a strong likelihood that they will not be able to work anymore given their advanced age, or the likelihood that they do not have a huge amount of savings to put toward securing a place. Subsidized senior housing, then, might be these individuals’ saving grace. For the reader who is not too familiar with the concept of subsidized housing, here are some ideas about what subsidized senior living may entail:

Obviously, critical to understanding subsidized senior housing is knowing what “subsidized” means in the first place. Something that is subsidized is paid for (at least in part) by government monies, also predictably known as “subsidies.” As such, subsidized senior living spaces are just what they sound like. Where exactly do these subsidies come from, though, and what must people do to qualify for them? Responding to the first part of the question, subsidized senior housing is provided for at both the state and federal levels by housing administrations.

As for the requirements, financial breaks on senior living are realized only for applicants (be they the prospective inhabitants themselves or their family sponsors) whose income is insufficient enough to warrant clemency. As of fiscal year 2009, the income limit is $46,000 for individuals and $53,000 for married couples. Anything above these tallies is grounds for refusal of benefits, pending review by appointed governmental agencies.  

Subsidized senior housing, as with any form of subsidized housing, is low-income residence. It should be noted this does not necessarily equate to the facility being low in quality as well, although the size of each unit in a reduced income complex may be relatively small. Subsidized senior living is a public service, and therefore reflects the moralistic nature of governmental aid.

As hinted at, subsidized senior housing may—or usually will—only cover a portion of rent payments, but if nothing else, the portion of the payer’s income or money saved to be paid every month will be significantly lower. Besides, subsidized senior living spaces grant minor modifications to the premises in light of seniors’ special needs.

Of course, cognisance of the benefits of subsidized senior housing is not worth much unless an elderly person and his or her family can locate a suitable, affordable residence. It may be hard to know where to begin such a search and who to trust upon receipt on receiving tidbits of information.

One useful conduit for details on subsidized senior living and/or subsidized housing for people with disabilities is the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, referred to as HUD for short, allows for visitors to its website to search for affordable apartments across the United States based on state, county, and even individual municipality. 

By evidence of the existence of community services like Meals on Wheels and transportation programs designed especially for seniors, the ability for older adults to receive individualized home health care would seem infinitely possible. Indeed, various home health services exist for the benefit of the elderly so that they may be allowed to live full lives without having to be confined to an expensive facility.

Moreover, this home health care is often more intensive than normal community services, and furthermore, it features trained professionals or at least administrators who are supervised by licensed health professionals. Depending on a person’s needs, he or she may be able to enjoy any confluence of home health services. Below are some examples of home health care:

 One brand of home health services that is fairly commonly used by elders and their families, and is known by a number of different names is that of home health aides. Also called caregivers, homemakers, and personal attendants, home health aides may be charged with any assortment of tasks that are part of daily living but are beyond the abilities of some older adults to manage for themselves.

Among the laundry list of chores that homemakers may be asked to fulfill (apart from laundry itself) are accompanying the individual outside the home, cooking, food shopping, housekeeping, personal grooming, and preparing him or her for bed. Usually, people who accept this kind of home health care will need to pay out of their savings or out of a family member’s pocket, though public benefits (e.g. 

Some home health services, meanwhile, will not be so hands-on, so to speak, but will nonetheless make the home more accessible for elderly individuals, especially in light of some injury or particular physical malady.

Relatively simple home improvements such as elevators, handrails in bathtubs/showers, wheelchair ramps and wider corridors (for the sake of those in chairs and motorized devices) may all be prudent renovations for the sake of the informed senior. As with the aforementioned Meals on Wheels and long-term care, home repair may not jump to mind as a manifestation of home health care, but with all due respect, it may be requested by experience health care providers, notably therapists. 

To boot, some home health services will take special circumstances of their recipients into account. Some paid services, for instance, will provide in-home hospice care for those people who have contracted a terminal illness or other serious condition and need both physical and emotional home health care as a result, as well as grief counseling and other functions for surviving family.

Respite care is also a hallmark of home health services. For the elderly suffering from a debilitating condition such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s and for the sake of family members who need a mental break from the constant care of their relatives, respite care affords them short-term piece of mind, and allows the family in particular the time to complete their own everyday chores.  

Heretofore, most of our options for long-term care have involved seniors living in their own separate houses or apartments, even if that means they require a home aide or are living in a second unit right below their children. That said, group homes are a departure from this category, as the name would imply.

The concept of a group home is actually used for a variety of purposes the world over. Usually, group homes suggest that the people inside are disabled or disadvantaged in some way, as with the developmentally disabled, drug addicts, and people who have been victims of abuse. Old age, it must be stressed, is not a disability; some fortunate individuals are capable of living their lives without some major problem until they die of natural causes. Still, as we well know, this is not always the case. As such, a group home may well cater to that. Some notes about group homes for seniors:

As for what exactly constitutes a group home, there are a few commonalities. Group homes are often “homes” in the sense that their structures are actual houses, often converted from a previous one- or two-family residence. As for group home inhabitants, they are qualified by being unrelated to one another; such separates a “group” from a “family.”

In terms of the origins of this definition, group homes are functions of Real Estate Law more than Elder Law or even health care. Depending on the location, these units may also be assessed minimum and maximum permitted occupancies, as per zoning laws and the like. 

What also marks a group home population is that they share a common characteristic. As mentioned above, some group homes are designed for victims of abuse, victims of self-abuse or simply those who were born with a debilitating condition. With senior homes of this sort, though, the unifying principle is usually that the inhabitants are older adults who need some amount of assistance in their everyday lives.

Thus, a group home for seniors is likely not just a living space for the makeshift housemates, but a conduit by which they may receive certain services fundamental to long-term care, including help with bathing, cooking, eating and toileting.

As is almost always a concern, payment options may be more limited with group homes than with other facilities. Compared to nursing homes, for instance, many of which are dependent on help from Medicaid and Medicare, these other homes for seniors are not held to the same set of state and federal regulations as their counterparts. Nonetheless, as many nursing home residents (and their families) must secure some sort of private health insurance, group home inhabitants may also count on some form of outside coverage plan, or simply a monthly rate which income or savings can address.