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New Continuing Care at Home program

Many older adults hope to live in their homes as long as possible, but maintaining a house can be difficult.

Now The Wesley at Home, a nonprofit established in 1867 to serve older adults in the Baltimore area, is seeking licensure to offer a new option for those in Baltimore City and Baltimore County: the Continuing Care at Home (CCaH) program.

Designed to help people continue living in their homes, the program requires an entrance fee as well as a monthly fee. Program participants receive a range of services: care coordination, a personal emergency response system, five phone calls to a nurse per year, home inspections by an occupational therapist, and access to Maryland Community for Life, which offers limited transportation and handyman services.

To be eligible for the CCaH program, residents must be 60 or older and rent or own a home in Baltimore City or County. Residents must be in relatively good health and score well on cognitive tests. Participants must also have independent medical, surgical and prescription insurance and be in good financial standing.

Costs for the services vary. Entrance fees begin at $21,000 for someone who is 60 and in good health. Monthly fees range from $500 to $750 depending on the daily long-term care benefit payment, which ranges from $175 to $350.

According to estimates provided by The Wesley at Home, someone who is 70 might pay around $82,000 for five years of service (this accounts for a 50% refund of the entrance fee to heirs at death). A portion of fees may be tax-deductible.

The program, therefore, costs less than an average year of home care ($57,200); one year of assisted living ($60,000); or a year in a nursing home in a semi-private room ($122,275). (Estimates provided by Wesley at Home with data from Genworth.)

Currently, The Wesley at Home provides the only CCaH accepting Marylanders. There are 34 CCaH programs nationwide.

For details, visit thewesleyathome.org or call (410) 324-2400.

Atrium Village completes renovation

A senior living community located on seven acres in Owings Mills has a new look. Atrium Village recently celebrated its 20-year anniversary with a $13 million renovation, competed this spring.

“We created new spaces for the residents to enjoy,” said Angela Spence, divisional director of sales and marketing at Senior Lifestyle, Atrium Villages’ management company.

A new café, for instance, is open all day so residents can meet for coffee or grab a snack at the deli station. A game area with a pool table and shuffleboard court, and an art room offers classes.

“Residents who didn’t think they were painters or artists are creating new things,” Spence said. “It’s phenomenal to watch them experience that.”

Atrium Village, a continuum of care (“life plan”) community, doesn’t have entry or buy-in fees, and dining and other services are included in the monthly lease. The community has independent living, assisted living and memory care units.

“People can move in at the most appropriate level of care and then have the ability to move to the level of care to best support them,” Spence said.

“Atrium Village leads the Baltimore area with one of the most significant renovations of any senior living community in the last 10 years,” according to a company statement.

The renovation took about a year, and now that it’s completed, Atrium Village residents are interacting more.

“Seeing the socialization post-COVID has just been amazing,” Spence said.

For more information about Atrium Village, visit seniorlifestyle.com or call (410) 363-0330.