TerraBella Hillsborough

Most of our Elmcroft communities welcome dogs and cats, and have secured outdoor areas where residents can walk and play with their pets. Check with the community for specifics and to see if they have any breed restrictions or specific rules regarding keeping a pet in your apartment. Your pet's vaccines and veterinary records should be up to date for the safety of your fellow residents and their pets, as well as staff and visitors.

The good news for seniors contemplating a move to a senior living community is that they will have a wide variety of opportunities for life enrichment. Some examples of fun activities for seniors in assisted living include watercolor painting classes, book clubs, volunteer projects, card groups, movie nights, walking clubs and more! There are also off-campus activities, such as organized trips to the zoo or park. We have a monthly calendar of events with hundreds of options so residents can choose an activity that best fits their interests.

We partner with Move For Seniors who can help manage the logistics associated with your move. Move for Seniors only uses experienced movers who are licensed, vetted and fully insured for local or long-distance moves. All communities partner with Move for Seniors or offer a similar service through a similar vendor. Pricing depends on the scope of what the resident needs. However, the average cost has been around $800-900.

A Virtual Tour is a tour of our community in which we use technology resources such as Zoom, Facetime or GoogleDuo. Virtual tours allow potential residents and family members to meet and speak with our Sales Director and other directors, staff and residents and experience our community from the comfort of your own home.

We DO NOT allow smoking inside our communities.

Medicare does not typically cover the expenses associated with assisted, independent or retirement living. Additionally, we DO NOT accept Medicaid for new move-ins. Many of our services can be covered by a Long-Term Care Policy, but you need to verify through your provider. We DO NOT take any other insurance payments. Contact the community for additional information on qualifying guidelines.

Families often have the misconception that an assisted living community is just a more attractive nursing home. The truth is nursing homes offer different types of care and services than you will find in an assisted living community. In a nursing home, you typically find residents who have more complex medical conditions. They need daily, around-the-clock assistance from a skilled nurse and/or therapist. Residents often share a room or suite with another senior. By contrast, residents in an assisted living community need support with what are referred to as the activities of daily living (ADL). These are the tasks we all need to complete every day, such as bathing, grooming, and dressing. While some assisted living communities have nurses on their care team, ADLs can typically be provided by an aide.

A variety of factors make up the monthly fee. In some communities, care and services are bundled into one flat fee. Other communities base their monthly fee on the size of the resident's apartment and the amount of care they receive. "The average monthly cost of assisted living in the U.S. is roughly $4,000 a month, or about $48,000 per year, according to Genworth's latest Cost of Care Survey." This fee may be higher in cities along both coasts and in major metropolitan areas, such as New York City or Washington, D.C. If you give us a call or schedule a tour, we can provide you with more concrete information based on your needs.

It depends on each resident’s situation. But in many cases, the answer is dependent upon the resident’s safety. If a senior who lives in an assisted living community is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the staff will work with the family to set realistic expectations for their future. And to create a care plan that allows for additional services if needed.

Memory care is a type of specialized senior housing designed to meet the unique needs of older adults who have Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia. A key part of daily life for Memory Care residents is participating in enrichment activities. These programs and activities are designed to help people with memory loss feel productive and stay engaged. At memory care facilities, staff not only offer residents assistance with daily activities like bathing and dressing; they are also specially trained to help residents manage some of the issues that come with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Memory care communities and units are designed to be relaxing and easily navigable to minimize resident confusion and frustration, and they feature extra security to help residents stay safe and prevent them from wandering off-site.

Residents have a variety of menu choices and healthy options for each meal, as well as the ability to make substitutions. We are proud to provide chef-inspired meals to accommodate all dietary requests and needs! The best way to learn more about our dining program is to try it for yourself! We extend an open invitation for seniors and their adult children to schedule a tour and stick around for lunch or dinner.

Assisted living communities cater to seniors who are physically or cognitively unable to live on their own. In independent living communities, most adults live alone or as couples, without the need for personal care support or skilled nursing. However, support is available, if needed. The design of an assisted living community is to provide long-term care for an individual who may require support with everyday activities but does not need the level of skilled care that is provided within a nursing home. In comparison, an independent living community is established for an individual who requires little or no assistance in performing their daily routine.

Although this answer varies by policy, many long-term care insurance policies do help finance assisted living. Check your aging loved one’s policy to see if it covers the costs of “custodial care,” which includes assisted living communities.

The transition to an assisted living community begins by researching your local options and scheduling a time to tour each one. A personal visit that includes your older loved one is the best way to determine if an assisted living community is a good fit. Once you have narrowed down your choice to one community, the staff there will begin the admission process. A nurse or other skilled health care professional from the community’s staff will likely evaluate your loved one’s needs to determine what care and services will be necessary after the move. The staff will also work with you to choose an apartment or suite. Some communities, such as Elmcroft, can even help you determine what furniture will fit in the new apartment and what might need to be given to a family member or donated to a local charity. It’s important to know that assisted living is licensed at the state level. This means every state has its own unique requirements for admissions to an assisted living community. Some states, for example, require a chest x-ray in addition to a complete physical exam. Others do not.