The Pocket Guide to Senior Housing: What they don't tell you and what you need to know

“The Pocket Guide to Senior Housing: “What they Don’t Tell You and What You Need to Know”, was written to help seniors and/or their families navigate their way through the process of selecting the best affordable housing for themselves or loved ones. It includes several pages of important questions to ask when touring, and is a step-by-step guide through the process, from the first call to the move in, and defines terms that are tossed around in the industry but unfamiliar to those outside the senior market. Small enough to fit in a purse or briefcase, the Pocket Guide includes several pages to keep track of the facilities you visit, and includes a list of resources to access both locally and nation-wide. User-friendly terms describe differences between Medicare and Medicaid, and the variety of housing options such as Continuing Care Retirement Communities, “stand-alones”, independent and residential care facilities. The Pocket Guide explores the costs of senior housing, level of care charges and where, and if, Long Term Care insurance applies. The services of Geriatric Care Management are explained, as well as suggesting the use of a realtor with a senior specialist certification. The Guide not only tells you what questions to ask when you tour a community, but why they should be asked and how you should react to the answers. There is a discussion on private referral services, and there are several checklists of questions for you to check off as you tour or make phone calls. As many of the rules and regulations, costs and care levels vary from state to state and between companies, the Guide tries to keep most discussions generic and there is a page of resources so that you can contact your city or state for details.