What is the difference between a retirement community and a long term care residence?

Chartwell owns and operates over 200 residences across the country, which includes a combination of retirement residences and long term care homes. If you are trying to determine what type of residence is best suited for your lifestyle, or that of a loved one, here are some key points to consider:

Care Support

A retirement residence is best suited for individuals who still consider themselves active and independent, but may also desire some help with things like meals, housekeeping and some personal support services like medication administration or assistance with their daily routine.

One of the main differentiating factors of a long term care residence is that the older adults who call them home usually require 24-hour nursing support to help manage complex medical needs or advanced stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Security

In a retirement residence, older adults can come and go as they please, though they benefit from 24-hour security and emergency response should they ever require assistance.

In long term care, many residences provide secure environments in order to keep seniors living with dementia safe when not accompanied outside of the residence by family or staff.

Private Pay vs. Funded Care

Retirement residences are private-pay—meaning residents are responsible for paying for their monthly rent.

The majority of the long term care residences that Chartwell owns and operates are partially funded by provincial governments—meaning the residents living in them have a portion of their monthly rent subsidized by the government.

Move-in Process

To move into a Chartwell retirement residence, individuals are welcome to inquire about availability at the retirement community they are interested in. A Health & Wellness Manager will meet with the individual inquiring about moving in to ensure the lifestyle option they have selected (i.e. independent living, independent supportive living, or assisted living) will adequately meet their unique needs and preferences.

Admission into long term care is coordinated by local health authorities in each province, not directly by Chartwell long term care homes. Individuals trying to move a loved one into a long term care residence may find that once they engage with their local health authority, they may have to be put on a waiting list until a suite becomes available.