South Carolina Assisted Living

In South Carolina, Catholic assisted living facilities may take some time to locate. In fact, Carter May Home & Saint Joseph Residence, located in Charleston, claims to be the first and only Catholic assisted living facility in South Carolina. The closest alternative to a Catholic assisted living residence is The Little Flower Catholic Assisted Living, but while Catholic at its core, it is a multi-denominational home where the majority of its residents are not Catholic. They are located in Mint Hill and the name comes from its patroness St. Thérèse of Lisieux, so they certainly have very strong Catholic roots.

Cost of Catholic Assisted Living in South Carolina

How much does Catholic Assisted Living cost in SC? There is a lot of pricing data available for South Carolina but these prices are obviously general rather that specific to Catholic assisted living facilities. However, the faith-based centers will not vary much, if at all. While national averages for assisted living come in at $4,000 or so, the average for these centers in South Carolina tip the scales at $3,500, and in Sumter, SC, the prices drop to $1,775. Only Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island comes in over the nations average, and even there it’s only by about $100 per month.

Catholic Retirement Communities in South Carolina - Religious Amenities

Catholic assisted living facilities that are truly focused on the faith have three key amenities and the first of these is its chapel. As the parish church is the center of faith in communities around the state, the chapel is the center of faith in assisted living facilities. Masses, and prayer services are held. Confessions are heard. Religious counseling is offered. This is also where seniors that wish to get more actively involved in the faith, can study to becomes lay ministers. In short, faith has a home in the chapel.

Whether this is a Catholic assisted living facility or some other form of a faith-based center, there will be a chaplain either on staff, or on-call, to provide pastoral care as and when it’s needed. In the case of Carter May, there are nuns as well, who are able to provide the spiritual care residents require. So, the second amenity seniors will want to look for is a chaplain or others that will be there for them when they need guidance.

The final piece to the puzzle; the third amenity, are the residents. The church community, no matter what denomination, defines that church. It gives that church its personality. It defines how effective that church is in fulfilling the spiritual needs of the congregation. While the faithful may be Gods sheep, they are also shepherds, helping guide each other into God’s good graces. So, seniors need to take time to “fell” the community, and take measure of their personality as they work to find the best possible fit for their spiritual wellbeing.

Catholic Assisted Living  in SC - General Amenities

Like anything else, there are good assisted living facilities and not so good assisted living facilities. Unfortunately, it seems stories about those that aren’t that good dominate what most seniors hear about. The truth though it that most offers seniors a level of intermediate care that is excellently delivered and that is exactly what seniors need when aging begins to make basic activities more challenge than they can deal with independently.

Good assisted living facilities help seniors deal with daily care needs like bathing, toileting, grooming, dressing and eating. They help seniors get up and around safely and securely. They will help manage medications and provide reminders that help deal with incontinence. These are all part of what the care teams will do. Additionally, there are housekeeping and maintenance teams that deal with keeping the center clean and functioning well. Cleaning includes personal apartments, along with linen and personal laundry service.

With all of this being taken care of, seniors are left to enjoy a like that is active, spiritual and much more secure than what they would be experiencing at home, alone, and it’s far better than what those bad news stories suggest will be the case. This is all great but for the best assisted living facilities, it isn’t nearly enough.

Active seniors are healthier seniors so assisted living facilities develop programs that help every resident find things they will be very happy to be actively involved with. It could be a music programs or maybe creative photography program. It might be arts & crafts studio or a woodworking shop. It will certainly include fitness programs and in many cases, this will include aquatic exercise in indoor heated pools. There will be educational opportunities that help keep minds sharp and entertainment programs that help keep hearts light. These are all in addition to the various faith-based activities that a Catholic assisted living facility will offer.

One of the many pleasures in life is sitting at the table and sharing a great meal with friends and family. In the best assisted living facilities, they are proud to serve three great meals each and every day. These are selected from a varied menu that has been built on two essential requirements. They have to be delicious and they have to be healthy. The culinary teams in Assisted Living Centers work with trained dieticians and come up with dishes everyone will love, no matter what their age. And, they’re served in very well-appointed, restaurant-style dining rooms, where groups can gather around the table and enjoy each other’s company as they enjoy their meals.

Catholic assisted living in South Carolina is limited but for seniors that are willing to look outside the box, there are plenty of faith-based assisted living facilities that will serve them well.