Assisted Living Help for Aurora Families

Short answer: In Aurora, assisted living is for a parent who is still getting around on their own but is slipping on medicines, meals or bathing. Because Aurora is so spread out, Brad starts with which side of town your family can reach, then keeps the list short. There's no cost to families for our help. Call (630) 835-0355.

In a city the size of Aurora, the hard part isn't finding an assisted living community. It's finding the right one without losing a month to brochures and sales calls. Many families who reach Brad are juggling jobs, kids and a parent who keeps saying, "I'm fine."

Brad Esposito, DCS, CDP, drives down from the Senior Source office in St. Charles to meet Aurora families where it's easiest for them.

A normal week in assisted living

Your parent has their own apartment. Staff help with the things that have gotten hard, like medicines, bathing or getting dressed. Meals are served, and there's a calendar of things to do with other people. It's built for someone who wants independence and needs a safety net.

Picking a part of town that works for the family

Aurora stretches a long way east to west, and traffic on Route 59 or Ogden Avenue can turn a quick visit into a long one. Before you tour, map where the people who visit often actually live and work. A place ten minutes from the daughter who stops by after work often beats a nicer place forty minutes away.

Ask these at every Aurora tour

1. What care is included now, and how is more care added if needs grow?
2. Who responds overnight, and how fast?
3. How are medicines handled after a hospital stay at Rush Copley or Mercy?
4. Can my parent keep their own doctor, and how do they get to appointments?
5. What changes would mean moving to memory care or a nursing home?

Bring our touring and move-in guide and ask the same questions everywhere.

Staying part of Aurora life

Many Aurora seniors have deep roots here, from the RiverEdge Park concerts downtown to neighborhood churches and the Fox River trail. Ask each community how often residents go out, and whether family can take a parent to a grandchild's game or Sunday service without a hassle.

From first call to move-in, Aurora style

1. A phone call about what's changed since the last Rush Copley visit or doctor's appointment.
2. A clear answer on whether assisted living is enough.
3. Short list on the side of Aurora your family can reach.
4. Tours grouped on one side of town so you're not crossing Aurora three times in a day.

Read our assisted living placement overview, see the Aurora memory care page if memory loss is growing, or call Brad at (630) 835-0355.

Aurora-area help outside Senior Source

• Senior Services Associates, Aurora office
• Illinois Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

These groups are independent of Senior Source.

Aurora assisted living questions

What does a day in assisted living look like?

It's an apartment with staff in the building who help with medicines, bathing and dressing, serve meals and run activities, and respond when a resident calls.

Mom says she's fine. How do we tell if it's time?

In Aurora we often hear about it after an ER trip or a Rush Copley stay: missed pills, an empty fridge, a skipped shower, a fall. If your parent can still use a call button and walk to the dining room, assisted living is the usual next look.

East side, west side or downtown: where should we look?

Pick the side of town first: near I-88 and Orchard Road, along Route 59 on the east side, or closer to downtown and the river. A shorter drive for whoever visits often matters more than extra amenities.

What happens to medicines after a hospital stay?

Ask the community how they handle new prescriptions after discharge from Rush Copley, Mercy or another hospital, and who checks the list against the old one.

Something isn't right after move-in. Who do we call?

Start by asking the community's director. If that doesn't settle it, the Illinois Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program speaks up for assisted living residents at no charge to the resident.

What does working with Brad look like?

One call to sort out the care level, a handful of Aurora options on the side of town that works, tours booked together, and help with the move-in assessment. Call (630) 835-0355.