10 Best Assisted Living Facilities in Burlington, ON

Assisted Living in Burlington, ON

What Is Assisted Living?

An assisted living facility offers a variety of services for seniors who need help with bathing and dressing, as well as medication management, transportation, meals and more. It differs from a nursing home, which generally includes around-the-clock medical care for residents.

In an assisted living community, your loved one can take advantage of additional amenities as well, such as restaurant-style dining that features high-quality meals, yoga and other exercise programs, art classes, book clubs and more. Residents may participate in a variety of social activities as well, from gardening and cooking to group outings to local venues and events.

What Is Senior Living Like in Burlington?

Seniors in Burlington are never at a loss for activities. Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy trails in the city’s many parks and nearby natural areas, a walk along the Brant Street Pier that juts out into Lake Ontario, or a round of golf at one of nine area courses.

Food and fun are always on the menu in Burlington, where seniors can pick their own berries, corn, and pumpkins at Stonehaven Farms or dine at their choice of more than 200 restaurants, including gourmet bistros. On Labor Day weekend, the city hosts Ribfest, the largest Ribfest event in Canada. The three-day festival features plenty of live music and countless varieties of ribs and sauce flavors to enjoy.

The city is also home to the Royal Botanical Gardens, featuring the largest lilac collection in the world and more than 1,000 additional flowers and plants. The largest garden in the country, the gardens are a must-see stop on every traveler’s list. Additional area attractions in this town, which sits midway between Toronto and Niagara Falls, include Clearwater Aquarium and a variety of sea creatures, museums and historic homes, and more than 1,000 exhibit pieces at the Art Gallery of Burlington.

What Services Are Available?

Assisted living communities feature a variety of services to make your loved one feel comfortable and at home while also attending to their needs. Amenities common to many facilities include the following:

• Incontinence care
• Reminders and monitoring
• Housekeeping and laundry service
• Onsite devotional services
• Transportation
• Allow dogs and cats
• Beauty salon
• Restaurant-style dining
• Medication care

Each facility may offer a different mix of services, depending on the number of residents and the scope of care. Many also include a host of visiting services too, such as physical and occupational therapists, podiatrists, chaplains and more.

Assisted Living Inspections and Ratings in Burlington, ON

In Ontario, assisted living residences must be licensed under the Retirement Homes Act of 2010. The Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority regulates these facilities, setting the standards for care. The Authority€™s Public Register is the place to find information on assisting living communities, including what services they offer, which ones are equipped with sprinklers, inspection reports and more. You can quickly search an individual facility and get a look at how well it has complied with the Act over time.

How Much Does Assisted Living Cost in Burlington, ON?

At A Place for Mom, we provide cost estimates based on information from families with a loved one residing in an assisted living community, not on surveys or other sources. The cost of such a facility in Burlington is comparable to one in the nearby Niagara Falls area, which is $4,165 within the city, rising to $4,352 in the wider metro area. A statewide average for New York puts the cost at $4,777. This estimate may vary by as much as $1,000, depending on the type of facility you choose and its services and amenities.

How Do I Tour Assisted Living Facilities?

Finding the right facility may seem a daunting task for families who understand that their choice impacts their loved one on a daily basis. Call or contact A Place for Mom for help touring these facilities. Its€™s vital that both you and your loved one feel comfortable with the community you choose, so touring a facility is an important step in the decision-making process. Here are some things to consider during a tour:

• Activities: Ask to attend a scheduled activity so you can see first-hand whether residents are being engaged or just going through the motions. Grab a calendar of events and determine what other activities are available that might interest your loved one.
• Meals: Eating onsite gives you personal knowledge of what type of meals your loved one can expect to be served. Ask about meals for residents who are unable to come to the dining room, too, and how those are handled.
• Cleanliness: Take a good look at baseboards and windows in both resident rooms and common areas to weigh overall cleanliness. Determine whether housekeeping is provided for residents™ rooms and how laundry is handled. Ask about maintenance issues, such as a clogged drain, and the response time for such problems.
• Safety: What safety features does the site offer? Bathrooms should be accessible and include grab bars near the toilet and in the shower. Ask about the procedure for residents to get ahold of staff during an emergency. Be sure to determine whether the facility is adequately staffed around-the-clock.
• Moving out: Does the facility have specific criteria to meet upon move-out? Find out in what situations the facility may ask a resident to move out? As with any living arrangement, a 30-day notice is typically needed/given by both sides.

Along with these areas of concern, its€™s critical to observe interactions between staff members and residents. Are residents treated in a caring and respectful manner? Do staff members make eye contact, listen and relate to residents or talk over them? Its€™s also a good idea to meet with the manager and discuss the community and its services so you have an idea of what€™s important to those in charge.

How Can I Pay for Assisted Living?

Nobody wants to put limits on a loved one, but the expense is a real concern when it comes to assisted living, where cost increases with the level of service, as well as added amenities. Here are some strategies you can use to defray the cost and find an assisted living community that fits your pocketbook as well as your needs.

• Plan Ahead: Along with taking the time to assess senior facilities before moving in, put your name on the waiting list of any that you€™re interested in. If you wait until the need is immediate, you may have to settle for something less than what you really want.
• Other Locations: Like other housing, the cost of a facility differs according to its location. A tony residence in the downtown area may be a great location, but another place in the suburbs may be just as good a fit, and less expensive as well.
• Flexible Pricing: It never hurts to ask about flexibility in pricing. Along with negotiating a lower monthly fee, you may be able to take advantage of move-in specials or other offers.
• Room Sharing: When residents double up and share a room, the cost can be more manageable. Be sure to ask about this option when visiting a site.
• Inclusive Price or A La Carte: Many facilities offer individual services on an as-needed basis, so you can choose only what you need, relying on family members or community volunteers to help cover any gaps. At other facilities, it may be cheaper to opt for the all-inclusive price.

Families who plan can also take advantage of long-term care insurance, while other options can include selling a life insurance policy, having family members chip in a monthly amount or a reverse mortgage. A reverse mortgage may be a good choice for a couple who own their home when one needs assisted living care and the other remains in the home.

What Are ADLs and IADLs?

When assessing a loved one€™s overall health and ability to function, activities of daily living (ADLs) provide a type of measuring stick that can help give you a clearer picture. ADLs are six vital skills your loved one needs to have, and they include:

• Hygiene: Bathing or showering completely on his or her own, or needing help with just one body area or task, including oral, skin and hair care.
• Continence: Control of bladder and bowels.
• Dressing: Choosing and donning appropriate clothing without help, including fastenings.
• Mobility: Specifically, able to move in and out of a chair or bed on their own. This skill also includes walking.
• Self-Feeding: This skill is not meal preparation, but the ability to take food from a plate to the mouth, or being able to chew and swallow.
• Toileting: Along with lowering themselves onto and rising from the toilet, loved ones should be able to clean themselves as well.

The above ADLs are the basic, or fundamental, skills needed to function. Instrumental activities of daily living include activities that are more involved, but necessary for independent living. IADLs include the following:

• Home cleaning and chores
• Ability to do laundry
• Managing finances
• Preparing food or meals
• Shopping for groceries and more
• Transportation, which includes moving
• Using communication devices such as a phone or computer

The ability to complete ADLs and IADLs without help can point to changes in the physical or mental health state of your loved one. A decline in IADL areas can be an early sign of early to mid-stage impairment in cognitive abilities, while a decline in basic ADLs may not be visible until the late stages of disability or dementia.

What Other Resources Are Available?

Making the decision to move your loved one to an assisted living community in Burlington, Ontario is an important first step in providing long-term care. Finding the right residence is the next, and it can seem like an overwhelming task, but you€™re not alone.

At A Place for Mom, our local senior living advisors are happy to help guide you through the process. Our service is free and aims to help you every step of the way, with community reviews, key insights and information to help make the process easier. Contact one of our team members for a free consultation.