Expected Assisted Living Cost in Fort Worth, Texas
There are different options when it comes to Assisted Living Facilities in Fort Worth. Much like an apartment building, there are different features that can increase or decrease the annual cost of an assisted living facility. Each year, Genworth conducts a survey where they collect average costs around assisted living to estimate an average for states and some metropolitan areas. We collected and compared some of those averages for Fort Worth and found:
- The 2021 annual average cost of an assisted living facility in Fort Worth is $50,340. If you compare that to the 2018 average annual cost, which was $48,736, the last three years have increased by 3.3% (source; Genworth.com).
- It is also important to note how Fort Worth compares to the rest of the state when it comes to the cost of assisted living. The state of Texas saw an annual average of $47,970 in 2021 for assisted living which puts Fort Worth about 4.8% higher in cost than the rest of the state (source; Genworth.com)
When you are looking at different assisted living facility costs to see if your loved one will be able to afford it, you should also consider expected changes to that cost over the next 3 years as most resident’s average around 28 months in assisted living. After that time period, we find that many move onto needing different types of more specialized care.
According to that same survey, Genworth expects the annual cost of assisted living in Fort Worth to be around $56,658 by 2025. There are a lot of other factors that are much more difficult to calculate to determine what will happen to the cost of assisted living in the next few years like workforce participation, pandemics, or facility closures.
Is Your Loved One Ready for Assisted Living?
Assisted Living is the best choice for disabled or elderly people who cannot live independently. These people may require care such as nursing, meal preparation and housekeeping. It can be upsetting and difficult knowing when it is time for your loved one to transition from Home Care to Assisted Living Care. Whether you or other family have been providing the care or you’ve hired an in-home caregiver, the duties of caregiving have no doubt flowed into your personal life and may be affecting your career.
Oftentimes caregivers won’t notice a slight decline in their loved one’s care needs because they add the extra demands to the ever growing to do list. A good practice is to perform a check every three months to assess your loved one’s care needs. If while doing the check you realize there has been an increase in caregiving demands, you may need to consider if Assisted Living Care is now needed.
There are three main things to evaluate to know whether your loved one is ready for Assisted Living Care:
1. Caregiver Stress or Burnout
Caregiving is stressful and takes time. Family Caregivers are so busy with work, other family such as children, and caregiving duties they often neglect to take care of their own needs. Stress and burnout are genuine issues and can cause a decrease in your ability to provide quality care for your loved one. Having to provide constant care can impact your family and career as well, because stress tends to spill over.
An Assisted Living Care facility can provide your loved one with the around the clock care support that they need which will allow you to move into a different caregiving role so that you can focus on more important things like their quality of life.
2. Behavioral Changes
Is your parent or loved one wandering more? Getting lost? Have they become increasingly more forgetful? Behavioral changes are a good indicator that additional care support is needed. Especially with individuals living in the early stages of Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease, a worsening in symptoms needs to be addressed. This is absolutely crucial to keep them safe on a daily basis.
Many Assisted Living Care facilities are equipped to handle these types of care needs and can offer the care support that your loved one requires.
3. Home Safety
Many traditional homes would require a significant financial renovation to accommodate those who are now in wheelchairs, who cannot walk upstairs, or may trip over loose carpet or high thresholds. Renovations may have to occur on the exterior of the house as well to make it more senior friendly. Even if renovations occur, a decline in health may still mean your loved one will need a home later on down the road. The best option from a financial and safety viewpoint is to move them into a facility now.
Meal plans are provided so that your loved one doesn’t have to cook if they don’t want to, and have accessible bathrooms with handrails and seating in showers, which are all critical features for older adults.
