While your current home may be important to you, there are some good reasons to think about downsizing.
Downsizing:
Opens up finances that could be used to pay for your costs of supports or services. The sale of your home could provide important financial resources to help you purchase or rent a smaller home, condominium or apartment.
Gives freedom from home and yard maintenance, especially if you rent instead of own.
Gives the ability to move in to a downsized living arrangement that already has the built-in accessibility features you need.
Allows for better access to community and social opportunities.
Gives you the option to choose a home that is walking distance to social places or on public transportation routes. This may be important if you are no longer able or prefer not to drive.
May allow you to be closer to family or friends whom you might rely on if you need care in the future.
At some point, it may be necessary for you to move to a place where you can get more help than you can in your home. Such places would include:
housing with services
an assisted living facility
boarding home
congregate housing setting
foster care home or
a retirement community.
Minnesota has their own requirements for receiving at home care called Registered Housing with Services. Facilities must meet these requirements for Minnesota to license their programs. In Minnesota, an RHS can: Provide both the housing and the services. Buildings may have arrangements with home care agencies.
In these settings you rent housing and buy home care services. A single company may provide both the housing and the services or the building may have an arrangement with home care agencies and other companies to provide some or all of the services. In Minnesota, the facility is registered and the home care must be licensed.
Some of these settings have an additional designation as assisted living that offer 24-hour services and supports to their residents. In Minnesota, providers may call their facilities assisted living only when they meet basic requirements under Minnesota Statutes (chapter 144G).
With the cost of care varying in so many facilities, some things to consider before moving in to a facility are:
How do you feel about making a change in your living situation?
Will the setting require you to share some of the living space such as living room, dining room with others?
Can you afford the type of arrangement that best meets your needs?
Do the benefits of having support and services nearby outweigh the loss of some privacy and control?
Minnesota has developed the Uniform Consumer Information Guide to help you find the housing and service setting that best matches your needs. The guide is organized in a way that helps you compare housing, services and costs. It is designed to help you choose a housing option that meets your needs. But you will need more information before you make a final decision. Be sure to visit the places you are considering and ask to meet with a staff person one-on-one to discuss your specific needs and preferences.
