Senior Living Guide2/9

Start with needs, not with a building

Care planners often talk about "activities of daily living," or ADLs — bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, transferring (getting in and out of bed or a chair), and continence. How much help someone needs with these, day to day, matters more than their age or diagnosis when it comes to choosing a setting.

It also helps to separate that out from "instrumental" tasks like cooking, managing medications, driving, or handling bills. Someone might be fully independent with ADLs but need real help with medication management and finances, which points toward a different kind of support than someone who needs help getting dressed every morning.

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