Independent living
An apartment or cottage in a community built for older adults, with meals, housekeeping and activities — but no help with personal care.
This is probably the right level when
Your parent manages their own bathing, dressing and medication, but the house has become too much.
What it costs
Roughly $2,500 to $5,000 a month in Colorado, depending on the area and the size of the apartment.
What it is
Independent living is housing, not care. Residents have their own apartment and come and go as they please. The community handles the things that make a house hard to keep: the cooking, the cleaning, the yard, the repairs.
Most communities include a dining room, transport to appointments, and a calendar of activities. Many have a gym, a library and a garden.
What it does not include
Staff do not help with bathing, dressing, toileting or medication. There is no nurse on duty. If your parent needs that help, assisted living is the right level instead.
Independent living is not licensed by the State of Colorado, because it provides no personal care. That is why these communities do not appear in our search — our directory lists licensed care only.
How to tell it is the right level
A good test: could your parent live alone in a small apartment if someone else did the cooking and cleaning? If yes, independent living usually fits.
If the honest answer involves someone checking that they took their pills, or helping them into the shower, they need more support than independent living provides.
Questions worth asking on a tour
- What exactly is included in the monthly fee, and what costs extra?
- Is there an entrance fee or deposit, and is any of it refundable?
- If my parent needs help with washing or medication later, can they stay?
- How much notice is needed to leave, and what happens to the deposit?
How families pay for it
- Almost always private pay — savings, a pension, or the proceeds of selling a house.
- Medicaid does not pay for independent living in Colorado.
- Long-term care insurance usually does not cover it either, because no care is provided.