Dad’s senior living journey: affordable assisted living

Posted on January 15, 2008 in Senior living journey by DM

one bedroom assisted living apartment Yesterday I finally had an opportunity to visit an assisted living facility I’d been hoping to see. It’s called Walden Point, located on 4th Street just north of Mercy Hospital. I think this is the place I would like to move my dad, and we have begun taking steps to get him there.

I drove to my appointment thinking it was actually an older building across from the hospital, and was really surprised to discover that it’s not the place I thought it was. (That one’s called Arbor Heights and it faces University.) Walden Point actually fronts 4th Street and was brand new in 2006. I was delighted with the look of the building, the gated parking, and the newness of it. The photos here just show the kitchen and living room of one of the one-bedroom apartments - there are also two-bedroom units. The rent for the unit is not quite $700 per month, and all other services - such as access to the dining room, visiting nurse, etc. - are additional. What makes the place affordable for fixed-income seniors is a financial tool called the Elderly Waiver. This is a subsidy program that essentially lowers the price the resident pays for rent, and then provides funding for most - if not all - of the other services. When combined with the fact that Dad will soon be on Title 19 (owning no property, he doesn’t have much in the way of assets to liquidate), I’m hopeful that a good portion of his residency here will be covered - by his own income and with assistance from these two programs.

I took several photos during my tour to show dad (with my green EnV phone - doesn’t it ROCK for blog photos??), who is still mostly home-bound following a recent hospital stay, and he was enthusiastic. Walden Point has a community dining room, library, computer lab, exercise room, and several other amenities - plus the extra attention Dad needs daily to make sure he’s taking his medicine correctly.

I’m thrilled to have found this place - next step: filling out applications for residency, Title 19, and the Elderly Waiver.

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