North Dakota Christian Assisted Living

North Dakota has about a dozen Christian assisted living centers and it doesn’t take much more than a simple search to uncover most of them. For example, Missouri Slope, in Bismarck, ND, and Sheyenne Care Center, in Valley City, ND, are both highly rated assisted living centers where the Christian faith is clearly represented in their mission statements, and in the amenities that they offer their residents. The majority of these Christian assisted living centers are Lutheran, but there are others as well.

Cost of Christian Assisted Living in North Dakota

On average, and compared to the National average rate of $4,000 per month, Christian assisted living centers in North Dakota, are about $600 less expensive.  Grand Forks, ND, costs less than $2,000 per month for similar care. Fargo, ND, is the most expensive city in the state but even there, prices are right at the national average of $4,000 per month so nothing in North Dakota is out of line with the rest of the nation.

Christian Assisted Living Communities in North Dakota - Amenities

When seniors are searching for a Christian assisted living facility to transition into, there are four key amenities they should pay very close attention to. It is these four that will help make the transition smooth, in terms of keeping them fully connected to their faith, while helping ensure the quality of the care they receive is guided by faith.

Christian Retirement Communities in North Dakota - Religious Amenities

1. A Christian community is so much defined by its church, as it is anchored by it. It acts as a magnet, both in good times and in bad, where the faithful flock to worship God, and to better understand the tenets of their faith. This is equally true of the chapel in an Christian assisted living center. It serves these small communities in the same way the church does by providing a sanctuary they can turn to whenever they feel the need to off thanks or to ask for God’s blessings. In a Christian assisted living center, the chapel will be open and available for all of the faithful, 24/7.
2. Every Christian community has at least one pastor the faithful rely upon to guide services, to preach the word of God, and to help every individual find their own personal relationship with God. Again, this is exactly the same in Christian assisted living facilities. They are the shepherds for the faithful, and that includes both residents and staff, and they provide far more than just a weekly church service. They teach, guide and encourage each member of the flock to stay the course, and never lose sight of God’s true blessings, in this life and the next.
3. Every assisted living facility is designed to offer personal assistance for seniors, and much of that care can be uncomfortably exposing. Imagine the reticence seniors may feel the first time they are helped into the shower and then imagine if the caregiver were anything but compassionate and patient. Poor care would most likely be worse than no care at all. In a Christian assisted living facility, where the caregivers share the faith and abide by the tents of love, compassion, dignity and understanding, care may still be a bit tough to accept at first, but that quickly changes to a quality of care that will be truly appreciated.
4. True faith is far more than just a “Sunday Go To Meeting”, kind of activity. It requires a constant commitment to learn and to live the faith each and every day. For this reason, Christian assisted living facilities organize many faith-related programs, including bible studies, prayer meetings, guest programs with Christian speakers and entertainers, community outreach activities, and the opportunity to enjoy the spiritual enrichment that comes from working as a volunteer, in the service of others.

Christian Assisted Living in ND - General Amenities

As people age, they often become withdrawn and even reclusive. They become complacent about personal care. They lapse when it comes to taking their meds and keeping doctor’s appointments. Loved ones may see this and try to fix it, but for many, it is more than they can manage when there is work and kids and spouses to worry about. It requires more than they can do but doing nothing is clearly not an option. Assisted living facilities offer a clear and effective solution. They help bring seniors back and help them reclaim the active lives aging has attempted to steal from them.

Assisted living communities accomplish this with a program of care that is commonly known as Assisted Daily Living or ADL’s. It includes direct assistance with personal hygiene, assistance with mobility, help for those with limited manual dexterity, and medication management. Together, these services help seniors feel whole again, and when the medications are back under control, medical outcomes improve so they continue on a far more positive trajectory. Caregivers also monitor health so any problems that may show up can be identified and treated before they become more serious health issues.

Assisted living centers also take care of daily housekeeping, regular laundry service, schedule linen changes and all of the maintenance in and around the home. This includes services within private apartments so all seniors may be left with might be a bit of light dusting and cleaning up if they decide to cook an occasional meal for themselves.

Cooking even the occasional meal may not be all that much fun when the 3 meals a day that are served in the assisted living facilities are so good. Culinary teams in many assisted living facilities learn about resident’s favorites and then add some of their own. Turn those into great breakfasts, lunches and dinners that seniors love sharing around the table with their fellow seniors.

When seniors come into an assisted living facility, they have often felt some measure of isolation as the challenges of aging limited their mobility. Now that they are getting the basic care they need and are felling “human” again, they can get back to doing the things they’ve always enjoyed, and they can do them in the company of others that share these same pleasures. Some of those things will include hands-on classes for things they’ve always wanted to become involved in or maybe just some friendly time around a game table playing bridge, or poker or scrabble. It could be joining together on movie night or getting out and enjoying an invigorating walk. It doesn’t really matter what it is though. What matters is that seniors get the change to live active lives again and that helps them start to feel alive again.

Apartments in assisted living centers equal privacy in these senior living centers. Seniors will select from semi-private suites, studio units and one- or two-bedroom accommodations. These are their homes within the home and their go-to place when they just feel the need for a bit of alone time. Prices vary based on the space selected, with the most economical space being the semi-private suites. While two-bedroom accommodations are the costlier, they are designed to be share by two companions, and the net cost to each, compared to taking two one-bedroom apartment provides a less expensive alternative.

Christian assisted living facilities in North Dakota offer a fair number of good choices seniors may enjoy exploring.