What Is Assisted Living?

In this Clarendon insight, we will be looking at what assisted living is, including a closer look at common features to look out for, what to consider before moving to assisted living housing, and our newest assisted living development, Cobnut Park.

What is Assisted Living?

Assisted living (also known as extra-care housing) offers more support than sheltered housing but still allows you to live independently.

You live in a self-contained property, but staff are usually available to provide personal care and support services when needed. These are tailored to you and can include help with washing, dressing, going to the toilet and taking medication. Domestic help, such as shopping and laundry, and meals may also be provided if needed. The care should always be tailored to your personal needs.

Common features of Assisted Living Accommodation

• Self-contained homes allow you to stay independent, while still having care easily accessible at your doorstep.
• Communal lounges allowing you to socialise as and when you feel like it. At Cobnut Park there will be a community clubhouse, which will be a place for all residents to come together, the heart of the community in every sense. As well as social activities, it will provide a base for hairdressers, barbers, physiotherapy and other social events.
• Help from a scheme manager (warden) or a team of support staff. At Cobnut Park, care will be provided by Meritum (more on them below).
• Regular assessments.
• a minimum age for residents, usually 55 or 60. At Cobnut Park residents must be 55+.
• A minimum amount of care will usually be required for residents. The home provider will be able to tell you if you qualify. At Cobnut Park, our residents must require 2 hours of care per week (per household).
• 24-hour monitoring may be available with some providers at an additional fee.

Unlike sheltered housing, assisted living housing is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). They inspect the facilities and provide ratings, which you can usually ask for from your home provider.

What should I consider before moving to Assisted Living Accommodation?

When moving to any new home there are things you need to consider before making your final decision. Assisted living housing is no different. First of all, you need to look out for yourself and those you are planning on living with, for example your spouse. Think of why you are looking to move into extra-care housing;

• Do you want to get closer to family or friends at an older age?
• Are you currently living in a busy area, and want to relocate to somewhere more peaceful?
• Does downsizing appeal to you because you no longer need a bigger home?
• Are you looking at your long term needs? You might not need care right now, but 5 or 10 years down the line this may change.

As well as these personal factors to consider, you also need to look into the costs of assisted living housing. In addition to the usual costs associated with moving to a new home, the care services provided at an extra-care facility will usually incur an additional fee. This fee should be flexible depending on the provider, but make sure to ask them about rates, minimum hours required and payment schedules.

What is Cobnut Park?

If you are looking to live in an exclusive assisted living community of extra care retirement bungalows, Cobnut Park is the place to be. Located at the heart of the picturesque village of Boughton Monchelsea, it combines the freedom of owning your home with the support of an on-site team and a vibrant community – enabling you to enjoy your retirement on your own terms.

Giving you the luxury and peace of mind you deserve, the development has been designed to meet your needs today, and those that may arise in the future. While Cobnut Park is a self-contained assisted living community, with a club house, communal gardens and proactive on-site team, we also value your independence as much as you do. As such, your home will be just that and you’ll enjoy 100% freehold ownership of it.

Who provides care at Cobnut Park?

All residents of our new extra care bungalow development Cobnut Park will have access to exceptional levels of care. This will come from our chosen partners, Meritum Integrated Care.

A family company started 24 years ago, Meritum offer a wide range of home care options, ranging from low dependency help such as helping with grocery shopping, to high dependency care for individuals with disabilities such as muscular dystrophy and paralysis. They specialise in helping people of all levels of need. As a resident at Cobnut Park, you can have as much or as little care as you want. It is this flexible approach which allows Meritum to tailor their services for your personal needs.

If you want to learn more about the luxury properties which Clarendon Homes provide, including Cobnut Park, have a look at our developments and sign up to our newsletter to be kept in the loop with everything Clarendon.

Got any questions or feedback on the blog? Or maybe a topic you would like to be covered in a future blog? Email cameron.hagan@clarendonhomes.co.uk today, I would love to hear from you!