Mom would like a two bedroom with a roommate in assisted living. Is that a thing?
Well, mom finally agreed to go to assisted living. Wow!! But she'd like to get a 2 bedroom with a roommate. Is that a thing? I know memory care has shared rooms, but she's not ready for that.
My parents have a two bedroom unit in assisted living. A door was removed from a studio apartment that adjoins with a one bedroom unit. They have separate bedrooms and bathrooms with a shared living area. Expensive? Yes it is.
Tuckdot1, it is possible, you would have to look around and tour the facilities to see how the roommate situation is set up.
Others on this thread had some interesting things to watch out for when it comes to sharing an unit. She wouldn't want a bathroom schedule such as the one Sheldon Cooper had set up for his roommate [the TV show "The Big Bang Theory"].
I'm curious as to why she would like a roommate? If it's to share expenses, that won't happen. If it's to provide companionship or have someone to "look out" for her, that's not going to happen either, unless she has a specific person already in mind -- someone she knows. Even then it may become a hot mess that you will need to clean up. More info would be helpful.
Congrats on mom agreeing to move! I'm sure it will be a relief to have her somewhere where a lot of her needs will be met.
Having a roommate is tough. I would recommend against it, until she needs the level of care where it is pretty standard, unfortunately. Living with a stranger with who knows what kind of issues is not easy. Sharing a bathroom with said stranger falls in the same category. One stint in a NH after a hospital stay, my MIL had a roomie that spent like an hour in the bathroom at a time. Luckily it was never an urgent issue, just an annoyance. But what if my MIL had been having a GI issue of some sort? Just not a good situation. Then you deal with the night owl vs early bird, etc. etc.
Have her get a 1 bedroom unit. She will have plenty of opportunity to mingle at events and meals, as she sees fit!
I don't know if it's a thing where she lives, but in my experience the facilities charge per person, not per unit. There would be no price break. I'm not sure they'd allow it if she wasn't married to the roommate. And even then they still charge per person.
Also, when moving into a community where the residents are in the process of declining, a roommate (in our family's experience) never worked out. My MIL is in LTC on Medicaid so has had at least 3 roommates. There was never any relationship developed because the residents were not capable of it.
6 Answers
Helpful Newest
First Oldest
First
Others on this thread had some interesting things to watch out for when it comes to sharing an unit. She wouldn't want a bathroom schedule such as the one Sheldon Cooper had set up for his roommate [the TV show "The Big Bang Theory"].
ADVERTISEMENT
Having a roommate is tough. I would recommend against it, until she needs the level of care where it is pretty standard, unfortunately. Living with a stranger with who knows what kind of issues is not easy. Sharing a bathroom with said stranger falls in the same category. One stint in a NH after a hospital stay, my MIL had a roomie that spent like an hour in the bathroom at a time. Luckily it was never an urgent issue, just an annoyance. But what if my MIL had been having a GI issue of some sort? Just not a good situation. Then you deal with the night owl vs early bird, etc. etc.
Have her get a 1 bedroom unit. She will have plenty of opportunity to mingle at events and meals, as she sees fit!
Also, when moving into a community where the residents are in the process of declining, a roommate (in our family's experience) never worked out. My MIL is in LTC on Medicaid so has had at least 3 roommates. There was never any relationship developed because the residents were not capable of it.