Louisiana Christian Assisted Living

There are very few specifically Christian, assisted living facilities available in Louisiana. Take Summerfield Senior Living as an example. They have four centers for senior living, each with a very nicely appointed chapel, and religious services marked on their calendar of activities, but nothing in how they describe themselves say anything about the Christian faith. In Louisiana, this seems to be the rule rather than the exception.

Cost of Christian Assisted Living in Louisiana

Christian assisted living facilities in Louisiana is first-off, relatively new. After Hurricane Katrina, many of the assisted living centers need to either be rebuilt or significantly repaired and upgraded. Still, the average monthly rate in these assisted living centers remains low compared to the national average of $4,000, by about $350 per month. This is true throughout most of the state, with Hammond, LA, just tipping the price scale at $3,000 per month. New Orleans drives the state’s average up significantly, with an average monthly rate of $4,700, but even this isn’t terribly out of line for those seniors that love the NOLA vibe.

Christian Assisted Living Communities in Louisiana - Amenities

In some ways, Christian have an easier time keeping the faith, without having a formal church setting to support them. Since Christian are focused on developing a personal relationship with God, they can, together with their bible, find their own path if necessary. But even though most assisted living facilities in Louisiana aren’t specifically Christian, they do have services and a relationship with pastors and guest preachers, so seniors won’t feel left out in the cold. They will still have guidance they can call on to help them find and stay on the right path to God.

Christian Retirement Communities in Louisiana - Religious Amenities

In a Christian assisted living facility, seniors would expect to find a full-time pastor on the care team so spiritual care would be given equally attention with physical care. In the assisted living centers in Louisiana, they are more likely to be chaplains, that are focused on helping seniors, regardless of their faithful inclinations. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it may mean that seniors will need to play a more independent role as a guide on their faithful journey.

The chapel is still an important amenity, even in assisted living centers where the Christian faith isn’t the sole focus. These are centers of faith, reflection and prayer. They are still a respite from the hustle and bustle of life, where the faithful can find focus as they pray to their loving God. They may just have to share this chapel with others that will believe in a different path to God, and have different ideas about how their faithful journey will unfold, and that could be a good thing. Being a true Christian is being accepting of others, and what better way to live that than to share a chapel.

The care teams in the assisted living facilities are a key amenity, and it would be best for faithful seniors, to have other that share their faith, provide this care. There is something about the very personal nature of this care that is made more comforting when the tenants of compassion, love and patience guide the care teams in their efforts. In a Christian assisted living facility, this would be a given. In assisted living centers that aren’t as focused, it is something seniors will have to explore. Get to know the staff and talk to some of the residents to gauge the extent to which these care teams live their faith, in their efforts to serve their residents. They could be a critically helpful, even if the home isn’t a dedicated Christian assisted living facility.

Finally, and again, this may be something seniors will have to play a leading role in developing, are the activities that mark the days in these centers. Many of these assisted living centers in Louisiana offer activities like bible studies and prayer meeting as part of their regular schedules. They will all be supportive of seniors that want to form groups that participate in these activities and help create others that can meet their spiritual needs. Again, seniors may have to drive these activities but, in some ways, this may actually help strengthen their faith in God.

Christian Assisted Living in Louisiana - Amenities

Every senior, no matter how much care they have taken to stay healthy and active, will find age has slowed them down, made them a bit less steady on their feet, and a bit less confident as they do the things that mark most normal days in their lives. It is at these time that assisted living becomes an option worth considering, and the best assisted living facilities deliver just the right level of care, in unobtrusive ways, so seniors are still able to live reasonably independent lives where they are still in command.

Assisted Daily Living or ADL’s mark the physical care seniors will enjoy in these assisted living centers, and they include help with personal hygiene, rehabilitation, medication management and more. They will help seniors move around with confidence so they never feel trapped or significantly limited in how they enjoy life. They guide seniors through physical fitness programs that help maintain and restore physical health while creating an environment where age is a minimally annoying realty that can be easily dealt with. So, while their bodies are cared for, so is their spiritual and emotional health, creating a holistic approach to care that bring new meaning to life.

While providing care, housekeeping and maintenance teams relieve seniors for the drudgery of keeping house and fixing the things around the home that seem to constantly be breaking, and this includes taking care of personal apartments that seniors will care home in these homes.

Speaking of apartments, seniors will have the choice of studio units with efficiency kitchens, or one- and two-bedroom apartments with kitchenettes, a dining area and lounge space. Some assisted living centers also offer semi-private rooms that are shared with 2 to 4 seniors.

These assisted living centers provide 3 meals a day, and for many of them, this is something they take great pride in. They offer a restaurant dining experience, with great meals, in a great setting, where menus offering something for every taste. There is variety too so meals are continually enjoyable experiences that can be shared with friends. In between meals, there are snacks that help seniors keep their energy level and blood sugar balances right where they should be.

For those suffering with Dementias like Alzheimer’s disease, there is memory care, offered in specially designed spaces that are more secure, brightly colored and less cluttered and confusing. Therapies, like music and pet therapy help them recover lost memories so they can reconnect with loved ones and that help them form new memories that give them a real sense of fulfillment.

Activities will be major part of daily life in an assisted living facility that will help keep things interesting, fun and maybe even a bit adventurous. They include the opportunity to learn new skills like cooking, photography or woodworking. There are educational programs, outdoor activities like gardening and trail walking, games, social activities and more. Seniors can enjoy as much or as little of this as they wish but when there is so much to get involved with and so many great people to share them with, just about everyone spends most of their time caught up in these great activities.

They aren’t necessarily obvious in Louisiana, but there are great choices for Christian assisted living centers for seniors that are willing to play a more active role in building a faithful future.