For people willing to leave their home, there are usually plenty of options, although there may be some confusion about what all the terms mean. You may hear about "board and care homes," "personal care homes," "life care" and "continuing care retirement facilities." All refer to some type of "assisted living" or service-oriented housing.

Housing options generally fail into three categories, based on level of services and/or care provided: 1) independent retirement housing, providing meals, activities, housekeeping and maintenance to more active seniors; 2) "assisted living," providing housing along with supportive services for seniors needing assistance with personal care or medication taking; 3) housing providing nursing care services for seniors who become temporarily ill or who require long-term health care. Some examples of these options are:

Independent Living Retirement Communities

These complexes are for seniors who are able to live on their own, but want the convenience of a comprehensive service package. Meals, housekeeping, activities, transportation, and security are provided to active older adults.

"Assisted Living" Facilities

In addition to the services mentioned above, these facilities provide personal care assistance to residents. This means that, in addition to housekeeping services, residents receive assistance in managing their medications and a helping hand with bathing, grooming, and dressing. Assisted living facilities come in all shapes and sizes. Settings can range from three or more older people in a homelike setting to dozens of residents in an institutional environment.

Nursing Homes

For individuals already disabled to the point of requiring daily nursing care as well as other support services, nursing homes provide comprehensive care services in a single setting. While most older persons and their families see nursing homes only as a last resort, they may in fact be the best setting for disabled persons with multiple problems and requiring multiple types of services.

Continuing Care Retirement Communities

These communities, sometimes also called Life Care Communities, combine all three levels of care -- independent living, assisted living and nursing home care -- in a single setting. Traditionally, such communities required a sizeable entry fee, plus monthly maintenance fees, in exchange for a living unit, meals, and eventual health care coverage, up to the nursing home level. More recently, such communities have also begun to make their services available on a pure rental basis, rather than on the shared risk basis of the traditional life care endowment. In short, CCRCs provide residents with the independence of retirement home living and the security of long term care.

To Move or Not to Move

The main advantage of living in some type of congregate housing is security. The presence of others provides continued monitoring of health care. Another big draw of such facilities, especially for those with limited mobility, are the bulletins of social contacts and activities. Experts agree that social contacts increase satisfaction with life and have a positive impact on physical health. Other seniors report relief at relinquishing housekeeping tasks.

Weighing the advantages of service oriented housing against the independence offered by a single family home is a complicated task. Timing is all-important. The most useful way to approach such decisions is to begin early by getting all the information possible on one's various options.

This Care Page is from the Administration On Aging ElderAction, developed by the National Eldercare Institute on Long Term Care and Alzheimer's disease at the Suncoast Gerontology Center University of South Florida.