[Haron]

My 82yr old parents are currently living in a senior living facility in Greenville, SC that is supposed to be Independent Living but I recently was told that if there are no kitchen appliances (stove, microwave, range top, dishwasher, etc) in the unit, it would be considered Assisted Living. My father made it clear within two weeks of arriving that he would not stay longer than he had to! A few things that cemented his decision were the monthly rent which included all meals (the food has been terrible and the staff has been limited with today's market!), seeing so many other residents with medical equipment (walkers, wheelchairs, etc.), and since arriving in mid-November, both of them had Flu A which led to a 3 day ICU hospital stay for my father (they were exposed in the facility). This was the last straw for him! The short time at this facility has caused them to be depressed and withdrawn. A visiting nurse just recently diagnosed my mom with beginning stages of Alzheimer's. She also has issues hearing and I am not convinced that the diagnosis is correct but that will be another issue to sort out once they are moved.

My siblings and I are now in the process of trying to find a true Independent Living facility in FL, one that has a full kitchen. They have lived in FL on and off over the years in the Citrus County area (Beverly Hills, Homosassa, Sugar Mill Woods area). I contacted a place for mom and all of the places they referred me to were more Assisted Living with the exception of one, The Coves at Tavares Villages. My sister went to visit this location yesterday and although some of the villas seemed dated, it could work for them.

I am wondering if anyone else has had a senior relative live in this location and if so, was a good experience?

We have to move them again at this stage of their lives so really want to make sure we get it right this time!

Any other places in the Lake County or Citrus County areas that we should look into? Their budget is not great (roughly $1900/month) and we prefer they rent instead of buy at this point in their lives.

Any help or advice you can share is greatly appreciated! We are trying to get this move done for the beginning of February (not very realistic but that is when their lease is up and my dad already handed in his notice to vacate to the management)


TYIA!!

[Grace512]

I don't know about the Tavares Village, but Tavares is a nice place for retirees. Close to 2 hospitals and shopping. I feel for you. My mother is getting close to needed this kind of facility.

[CTREInvestor]

Independent living facilities never have a full kitchen. They will have a hot plate, refrigerator and microwave and that's it.

Unless you're spending more than $10,000 per month, you should expect the food everywhere to be cafeteria food similar to what is offered by Meals on Wheels.

There was a time where assisted living and independent living were distinct, but it was a long while ago. Today, all units are functionally the same. The difference between the two is just one of additional services. Most facilities are modeled on the fixed rent of independent living with additional charges for assisted living services.

Part of the reason this was done is most old people who can't live independently (independent is a euphemism) will require assisted living services at some point. This allows those services to be added on without moving the resident.

[kyle19125]

If they're truly independent why shell out a king's ransom to a facility versus a ground level apartment with better amenities close to conveniences in a city like Gainesville, that also has top-tier medical facilities?

[aus10]

I don't know if they are willing to go further south..... but my grandmother was at the Palms of Largo in an independent 2 BR apartment with a huge screened in balcony, full kitchen and the people who worked there were terrific, she made many friends and she lived there till she passed in her 90's.......

[Haron]

Sorry...I was caught up with moving my parents back to NY from SC. They moved into their own apartment but nothing is walkable from their location. My dad was just told by two different doctors that he probably shouldn't drive. My sister lives the closest to them (25 min away) but is already stressed out by the level of attention they need at this point. I am now back to looking at senior living communities in the Homosassa/Spring Hill area of FL as this is the area they lived in for many years and are familiar with. I've narrowed down to two (Sunflower Springs in Homosassa or The Residence at Timber Pine in Spring Hill). Both are very close to where they last owned their own home and to the doctors/hospital they are familiar with so hoping I can get some good, honest feedback on these two communities in order to make a decision. At this point, they are no longer able to live independently as my dad is not able to handle the financing of independent living anymore and neither of them can manage their own medications properly.

[Ghaati]

There are some pretty nice transition facilities in the Villages. By "transitional" I mean - independent apartments, plus assisted living apartments, plus memory care living wings, all in the same complex. You can start out in the independent rooms and if you progress and want to stay, you just move to another wing and boom - you're now in assisted living. If you end up with memory issues, you are moved to yet another wing, and boom - you're now in memory care.

Harbor Chase, Freedom Pointe, and Trinity are two I know of, with Trinity getting the most accolades, Harbor Chase coming in a close second, and Freedom Pointe getting mixed reviews.

[VA Yankee]

OP I was going to post that Independent Living simply means a conventional apartment whether it is a 55+ community or not. At this stage your folks need Assisted Living but that can run a significant amount with no Medicaid assistance available so have you considered some type of companion that can cover feeding and daily medications for them? Eventually they may needs Nursing Home Care and there you can get a Medicaid slot but it can take time to get into the good facilities.

Good luck with this and once they are settled start looking ahead because you don't get a 90 day day notice when their living arrangements need to change....