Texas Catholic Assisted Living

There is a long tradition of Catholic assisted living in Texas, dating back to the 1800’s, and that means there are several good choices for faithful seniors that want to strong measure of spiritual care to go along with their physical health care. Take the Village at the Incarnate Word. It’s been around since 1988 but the Sisters that provide the faithful focus of the assisted living center first arrived and began evangelizing back in 1868. Then there is St. Dominick, founded in 1975, and managed in partnership, by the Archdiocese of Galveston Houston. These are two of many examples of what await seniors looking for Catholic assisted living facilities in Texas.

Cost of Catholic Assisted Living in Texas

How much does assisted living cost in Texas? Monthly average rate for all assisted living, including Catholic assisted living residences in Texas is $3,750, making them about $250 less expense than the national average of $4,000 per month. El Paso and Texarkana are the most economical cities in this state. With rates that are right around $2,000 per month, while Austin to the most expensive, at more than $5,300 per month. All of the other locations in Texas are in the range of $3,500 and $4,500 per month, which means there are many that match up well with the national monthly average rate.

Catholic Assisted Living Communities in Texas - Amenities

Faithful seniors, Catholic assisted living centers provide an anchor for their faith by infusing each day and just about every that happens during the day with constant reminders that God is watching over us, guiding us, and taking care of all of our needs. This is true for both residents and the staff who typically share the same faith.

The only potential problem comes when considering the number of seniors these Catholic assisted living facilities can accommodate and the number of faithful seniors that require these accommodations. So, it may be necessary for seniors to look beyond these Catholic centers and consider some of the Christian assisted living centers that also serve this state’s seniors.

There will be some key differences between Catholic and Christian assisted living facilities through that seniors will need to be prepared for. For example, prayer services will be different. The Our Father and Hail Mary are the most common of prayers for Catholics but are essentially unrecognized by Christians. And, the Eucharist and sacramental wine play no role either, outside of the Catholic church. Still for the differences there are many more things that are common across the various denominations, principally, faith in God and a deep love for his Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. So, seniors that can’t find a Catholic assisted living facility can certainly find comfort in a Christian assisted living facility.

Also note that there are often Catholic assisted living facilities, that are too small to show up on any lists. Give us a call to speak to a local senior living specialist at no cost.

Catholic Assisted Living in Texas - Religious Amenities

The greatest amenity a Catholic assisted living facility offers, and the one that leave no doubt that this is a Catholic center, is the daily offering of the Eucharistic mass. Even if these same senior living centers also offer non-denominational worship services, the presence of the Eucharist make this a Catholic home. So, the first thing seniors need to do is either look at each center’s calendar of monthly activities or ask about the daily mass schedule.

The next thing seniors will want to check is the chapel. Keeping in mind that every faith-based assisted living center will have one, a Catholic assisted living center’s chapel will have a tabernacle to keep the Host safe. Candles remain lit when the host is in the tabernacle so anyone entering the chapel will know that the sacrament is close at hand.

Even if this isn’t a Catholic assisted living facility, the chapel provides the heartbeat of faith for all who call the facility home. For Catholic, the chapel means even more as this is where confessions are heard, where healing prayers are offered and spiritual counseling is offered. That makes the chapel the next uniquely Catholic amenity in these assisted living residences.

Finally, there is the chaplain and the care teams that may well be the most important amenity a Catholic assisted living center has to offer. First, the chaplain is dedicated to caring for the spiritual wellbeing of all of the Catholic Assisted living facility’s residents. In this effort, they are supported by the care teams who are in close and constant contact will all of the residents. They are able to identify potential issues that may impact the emotional wellbeing of their residents so the chaplain can work proactively to help seniors deal with all that may be troubling them.

There are also various faith-based activities that make these homes uniquely Catholic and / or Christian, including bible study, volunteer programs and outings and pilgrimages that are designed to enhance each resident’s connection to God and their own understanding of their faith.

Catholic Retirement Communities in Texas - General Amenities

If getting out of bed in the morning is a challenge marks by grunts and groans, and assisted living facility may be required. If getting up from your chair needs to be done slowly to avoid getting dizzy, it may be time to make the move to an assisted living facility. If remembering why you walked into the room or when you are supposed to take you next medications this is a clear sign that an assisted living facility could be what is needed to stay on track. If seniors are just feeling incredibly lonely and disconnected from the world around them, it’s definitely time to expand that world, and start interacting with others in an assisted living facility.

Assisted living facilities offer intermediate care that is designed to address all of these issues and more. First, personal care delivers direct assistance with getting up and moving around safely and with confidence. This care also offers seniors a helping hand with bathing, grooming and dressing, as well as using the toilet. Medications reminders are provided, assistance eating is on hand, and opportunities to interact with others beats back any sense of isolation that seniors may have been experiencing.  These are a package of basic care known as ADL’s or assisted daily living tasks.

Once these issues are covered the next things assisted living facilities do is to provide a menu of exciting activities that help seniors continue to enjoy and active lifestyle that fits well with their interests. These activities run the gamut from arts & crafts, to photography and music programs, fitness programs of various types, games, social activities and more. These are all in addition to the religious activities we mentioned earlier.

Some seniors will need a different and more focused level of care that deals with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. For these residents, there are enhanced security structures that help keep them safe, and memory care that helps restore some past memories, retain new ones, and stay connected to life so they can actually look forward to the days to come. Memory care also works to offset the negative emotional impact these diseases have, most specifically in the areas of anxiety, frustration, confusion and depression. Managing these negative emotions are key to keeping emotional outbursts under control so both the resident and the care givers are kept safe.

Seniors in these assisted living facilities enjoy 3 great meals a day, that are designed by dieticians that insure they are healthy and professionally prepared so they are delicious too. They are shared with friends in well-appointed dining rooms that will be reminiscent of a great restaurant so the whole experience feels more like going out for fine meal and equally fine conversation.

Privacy in these assisted living facilities come in the form of Studio suites, one-bedroom apartments and companion apartments that can be shared by two. For those seniors on a tighter budget, there are also very comfortable semi-private suites that can save quite a bit each month while still providing a quite space seniors can retreat to when they need a bit of a break.

Catholic and Cristian assisted living facilities offer options ageing adults will love, and with a strong connection to the faith, they will feed the soul while they look after the physical health of their residents.