Mary wasn’t sure if assisted living was something she wanted. Not now, at least. But, she needed something. Following that serious medical emergency she experienced recently, Mary couldn’t handle the daily rigors of life at home alone. 

She had friends who had moved into assisted living in the past few years and while she would visit every once in a while and liked the facility, she could never imagine herself there. It just didn’t seem to be for her. 

During this time in her life, someone suggested she ‘try’ assisted living. 

She didn’t know that you could “try” it. She assumed that once you moved into an assisted living facility, that was it. There was no going out. She once joked to friends about how these facilities reminded her of the old bug trap commercials. They check-in, but they don’t check out. 

She based this on nothing rooted in fact. It was all conjecture and opinion. It was something she had always thought of because she never really thought deeply about it. 

Assisted living doesn’t have to be permanent. 

While many elderly men and women choose assisted living and spend the rest of their life there, it doesn’t have to be that way. While not designed for temporary living quarters, a person like Mary could move in, check out everything about the facility, spend a few months there, and then decide it is what they want for the rest of their life. 

It happens. 

But this idea that once you move in, you can never move out, is completely false. Some assisted living communities may have minimum lease agreements, but how is that any different than other living environments? 

Most people, when they move into an apartment, rent a house, or seek to rent a condominium, for example, have to sign a minimum lease term. Usually, that’s about 12 months. Some terms may only be three months, six months, or some are longer than 12 months. 

Every assisted living facility is different. 

When Mary realized she didn’t have to make a commitment for life to this particular facility, it made the decision easier. She decided to give up her house, that large house with too many rooms, too much cleaning, and too many obligations, for something smaller in a place she didn’t have to worry about those things like she had for decades of her life. 

She moved in and realized this really was a great place to stay. And while she was only planning a staying there for several months, she ended up staying there for years. 

If you or an aging loved-one is considering a move to Assisted Living in Phoenix, AZ please contact the caring staff at MD Senior Living today. 480-267-9200