Wisconsin Assisted Living

There are dozens of Catholic assisted living facilities dotted all across the state that are both affiliated with the church and privately owned and operated. There are many Catholic retirement communities in Wisconsin for seniors to explore.

Cost of Catholic Assisted Living in Wisconsin

Catholic assisted living averages $4,485 per month but there is a wide range of prices as you explore the cities throughout this state. La Crosse, WI, is only about $2,600 per month while Oshkosh, WI, jumps to nearly $5,500 each month. This is against a national average of about $4,000 per month. To be sure, there are some expensive choices but even in the most populous cities in the state, just about everything seniors will find, will be at or around that national average.

Catholic Assisted Living Communities in Wisconsin - Amenities

Seniors and all of us for that matter, are more than just physical beings. We are spiritual as well and care centers must recognize this and work to care for both parts of the whole person. This is what Catholic Assisted Living facilities are all about. They do everything that is needed to care for the physical being while never losing sight of the needs of the soul – the spirit. It can be reasonably argued that when caregivers share the faith, the way they care for the physical wellbeing of their residents is much better than average and goes above and beyond what many might expect.

Catholic assisted living facilities also help seniors remain or regain their focus on their faith, in an environment where faithful displays are welcome. In a world that seems to have wandered far from God, even simple things like saying grace when eating at a restaurant is seen as odd and maybe even offensive to some. Not in a Catholic assisted living facility. In fact, the exact opposite is true. Everyone is welcome to openly live their faith in the company of a community where faithful displays are simply part of the daily fabric of life.

Catholic Retirement Communities in Wisconsin - Religious Amenities

In any faithful community, the center of faithful life is in the Parish Church. In a Catholic assisted living facility, that faithful life is centered in the Chapel.  This is where mass is held. It is where confessions are heard. It is a center for prayer and contemplation. And, it is a place where spiritual counseling is offered when seniors most need it. This is a consecrated space, normally including the tabernacle, where seniors can become as actively involved as they may have been, or wished they could have been, when they were a part of the parish community.

There are times when seniors can’t make it to the chapel for the mass. In Catholic assisted living facilities that is accounted for. Priests and minsters will bring the mass and the sacraments to them via in-house broadcasts and personal visits.

Activities during the day also help. There are gospel reading and bible study groups. There are prayer circles. There are guest speakers and preachers. And, there are community outreach programs and curated travel that is centered on the faith. Plus, for those that want to be more actively involved, there are many opportunities to volunteer to help others, in a myriad of ways.

There is something else about a Catholic assisted living facility that makes it different from all others. There is structure centered around prayer that marks key times of each day, starting at 6:00 AM with the Morning Prayer of Adoration and Thanksgiving. Then at 3:00 PM everyone pauses for the prayer of Divine, and at 6:00 PM for the Angelus. These pauses help keep faith in focus while helping seniors find comfort in the consistency these prayers offer.

Catholic Assisted Living in Wisconsin - General Amenities

You may be in need of assisted living if getting out of bed in the morning sound like the rusty old door of a 65 Chevy closing.

You may be in need of assisted living if getting in and out of the shower looks more like a slow-motion version of Disney on Ice, as you try not slip and crash into something.

You may be in need of assisted living when microwave dinners and instant noodles are about all the effort you feel like putting into your meals.

You may be in need of assisted living when remembering medications, or even why you got up and headed to anywhere always seems to be lost in a cloud.

And, you may be in need of an assisted living facility when the only conversations you have are then ones when you are talking too yourself.

ADL’s, often referred to as Assisted Daily Living tasks, address all of these issues with a combination of direct assistance and timely reminders. Seniors will enjoy a helping hand getting up and around safely. They will have a helping hand for bathing, grooming and dressing too. They benefit from medication management, incontinence support, and memory boosting activities.

Then they get to enjoy the company of other seniors just like them, so conversations become healthy interactions again. These happen in the context of various programs and activities, like arts and crafts, cooking classes, gardening, woodworking or just sitting around the table to enjoy a card game or maybe a bit of trivial pursuit. In Catholic Assisted Living Facilities there are also opportunities for education, beyond the bible studies already mentioned, that help keep minds actively engaged and firing on all cylinders.

Meal times feel more like outings to a favorite restaurant, with great menus and dishes prepared by professionals in the kitchen. The food is delicious and best of all, seniors share them around the table with their fellow seniors, so these meal times are often highlights of each new day.

Some Catholic assisted living facilities welcome pets so for seniors that have a loving dog or cat, or those that are dependent on care animals, they will be welcome to move in together. In these homes, these pets often become a welcome part of the larger community as well since few can resist petting and playing with a cute dog or cat.

Apartments provide private and quiet spaces in these otherwise busy Catholic assisted living facilities. Floor plans are typically offered as studio suites or small efficiency units, and one- and two-bedroom apartments. These larger two-bedroom apartments allow family or friends to share a unit while still having their own bedroom. There are also semi-private rooms available for those that don’t mind sharing and are working with a tighter budget.

Wisconsin will surprise some with the number of Catholic assisted living facilities that are available, but for those that know and love this state, it won’t come as any surprise at all. Seniors should have a great time exploring these residences as they contemplate a faithful life in the loving care of others.