01 Oct Life at Westerwood: Your Senior Living Questions Answered
Moving to a retirement community is a major life decision—one that’s often filled with emotion, excitement and lots of questions.
Understanding the different living options, contract types and payment plans is a big first step in choosing the right senior living community. But that’s just the beginning. What about the people? The culture? The lifestyle? How will you spend your days? Will there be enough to do to keep your mind, body and social calendar active?
While many of these questions can best be answered by visiting the communities and speaking with residents, this article will provide insights on some of the most common questions about senior living communities in general—and life at Westerwood specifically.
Are All Senior Living Communities the Same?
There are many types of senior living communities ranging from those that offer independent living residences for more active seniors to communities that provide healthcare assistance like nursing, memory or rehabilitative care. Some even offer both—providing a full continuum of care all on one campus. But just as no two people are completely alike, neither are any two communities. Although the offerings may appear the same on paper, it’s often the things you can’t put into words that make certain communities stand out. At Westerwood, it really comes down to our people, our passion and our culture. We encourage you to visit our beautiful wooded campus and speak with our staff and residents to experience life at Westerwood.
What’s Life Like in a Retirement Community?
Most retirement communities provide residents with low- or no-maintenance housing, prepared meals and varying levels of social events and activities. True to their name, these communities are open to singles or couples who are 55 or older, many of which are retired. At Westerwood, we use that term loosely—the only things our residents are retired from are chores and responsibilities. From nature walks through Friendship Woods and fitness classes to musical groups and tailgating, our residents are never at a loss for things to do. And if there’s not a group or event they’re interested in, they can create one. At Westerwood, every day is a fresh opportunity to discover something new and live your best life.
What’s the Difference Between a Continuing Care Retirement Community and a Life Plan Community?
You may have come across the terms Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) and Life Plan Community and asked yourself ‘What’s the difference?’ The short answer is there is none.
Although “Life Plan Community” is the more modern term that puts an emphasis on being active and having a plan, both names are interchangeable. They refer to communities that offer a continuum of care allowing residents to age in place in their independent living homes or transition to higher levels of care as their needs change—all within one community.
What Are the Benefits of a Life Plan Community?
A Life Plan Community allows you to enjoy all the independence you need to live life to the fullest today—and the peace of mind that comes with having guaranteed access to any additional care you may need in the future. At Westerwood, you’ll receive all the care you need without the need to leave the beautiful community you call home. This care includes assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation.
By putting a plan in place, you’ll also save your family members the stress of having to make decisions about your care. They can relax knowing you have access to all the care you need for every stage of your life.
What Kinds of Contracts Might a Life Plan Community Offer?
Much like any residential lease or purchase agreement, every Life Plan Community has its own type of contract that residents sign before moving in. It usually outlines the type of residence, number of meals provided, utilities included, community amenities and any additional services the resident opts for.
Westerwood offers three contract options to meet your needs. Each type allows you to enjoy the residence of your choice, community amenities and preferred access to the full continuum of healthcare services.
Life Care Agreement
Our Life Care agreement, also known as a “Type A” contract, is perfect for those looking to have the most control over future healthcare costs. It requires a one-time entry fee (in addition to your monthly independent living fees) that gives you access to unlimited use of assisted living, memory care or long-term care services throughout your lifetime—so you can budget for and predict future costs.
Life Choice Agreement
Our Life Choice agreement, also known as a “Type B” contract, may be a good option for those who don’t want to pay a larger upfront fee. This option allows you to pay a lower entrance fee and receive a discount on future healthcare costs. With this plan, you also get up to 10 days in our Rehabilitation Center or short-term assisted living each calendar year.
Rental Agreement
Our rental agreement is the option of choice for those who prefer not to pay an upfront entrance fee. This agreement includes all the same amenities as the Life Care and Life Choice agreements. However, in lieu of a large one-time fee, you’ll pay higher monthly fees and give up protection from the increasing costs of health-related care services.
Fee-for-Service
There’s one more type of contract you may come across in your search for senior living communities. While Westerwood doesn’t offer this contract type, we want you to have all the information you need to make the right choice for you.
Fee-for-Service, also known as a “Type C” contract, is designed for residents who want to pay for services as needed. Because long-term healthcare fees aren’t factored into this agreement ahead of time, you’ll pay a lower entry fee and/or monthly fee. However, if assisted living or skilled nursing care are needed in the future, the monthly fee will increase to include the full market rate for those services at that time. While you may save money upfront, you risk having to pay much higher fees if it turns out you need these services in the future.
What’s the Food Like in a Retirement Community?
Retirement communities offer different dining options depending on residence and contract type. At Westerwood, our independent living residents enjoy flexible dining options that include one meal per day of their choice, plus Sunday brunch once a month. Our independent living apartments also include modern kitchens for times when residents want to prepare their own meals.
Our assisted living, short-term rehabilitation and skilled nursing care residents receive three chef-crafted meals a day. These residents can choose between being served in the dining room or their private apartment. Residents at all levels of care can invite family or friends to dine with them for an additional charge.
We also offer special holiday menus, seasonal cookouts, holiday meals and special themed events.
How Are Nonprofit Senior Living Communities Different?
Nonprofit senior living communities are unlike their for-profit counterparts. Instead of being run as a business with the goal of making a profit, the main goal of a nonprofit is to make a difference.
Westerwood lives up to this mission. As a nonprofit community, we aren’t driven by profits or impressing shareholders or investors. Our sole focus is serving our residents. All the money we take in is reinvested in our community so we can provide the best quality of life and care for our senior population.
Was Westerwood Once Called Friendship Village Columbus?
If you searched for a senior living community in Columbus prior to 2021, you may have come across information about Friendship Village Columbus—the name of our community when we opened in 1978. In the spring of 2021, we changed our name to Westerwood to better reflect our connection to the nearby Westerville community. The name change is part of our ongoing transformation to meet the needs of today’s modern seniors.
Despite a new name and more modern campus, we haven’t changed who we are on the inside. We still have the same compassionate team and steadfast mission to provide seniors with the highest quality of life today and a continuum of care as their needs evolve well into the future.
What’s Life Like at Westerwood?
You can get an idea of what life is like at Westerwood by exploring our website. But for the full experience, visit our beautiful campus, speak with residents and staff and enjoy one of our community-wide events. Still have questions about senior living? Call (614) 586-0503 today to get answers and set up your visit.