Which Kind of Care Fits? A Plain Guide to Every Option
Colorado senior care comes in five main levels, from independent living up to skilled nursing, plus short respite stays. The right one depends on how much daily help is needed and whether memory loss makes living alone unsafe. Compare them below, then call us and we will confirm the level for free.
What are the levels of senior care side by side?
Ranges are what our advisors see across Colorado communities today.
| Level of care | Who it is for | Help provided | Colorado cost range | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent living | Someone who can manage on their own but is tired of the house, the stairs, and eating alone. | Meals, housekeeping, transportation, and activities. No hands-on personal care. | $2,500 to $4,800 a month | Independent living in Colorado |
| Assisted living | Someone who needs help with bathing, dressing, or medicine but not nursing every day. | Daily personal care, medication help from a QMAP, three meals, and staff in the building overnight. | $4,500 to $7,500 a month | Assisted living in Colorado |
| Memory care | Someone with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia who wanders, gets lost, or is unsafe alone. | Everything assisted living provides plus secured doors, dementia trained staff, and a simpler routine. | $5,800 to $9,500 a month | Memory care in Colorado |
| Skilled nursing and rehab | Someone leaving a hospital after surgery, a fall, or an illness, or who needs daily nursing. | Licensed nurses around the clock plus physical, occupational, and speech therapy. | $8,500 to $13,000 a month | Skilled nursing and rehab in Colorado |
| Respite care | A family caregiver who needs a week or two to rest, travel, or recover from their own surgery. | A furnished apartment, meals, and the same daily care as assisted living, booked short term. | $200 to $400 a day for a short stay | Respite care in Colorado |
What does each type of care actually mean?
Seven pages, each written for a family deciding this week.
Assisted living
Assisted living is licensed residential care for adults who need help with daily tasks like bathing, dressing, medications, or meals but do not need round the clock nursing. Colorado licenses these buildings as Assisted Living Residences through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
Memory care
Memory care is a secured assisted living setting designed for people living with Alzheimer's or another dementia, with trained staff, structured days, and safety features that reduce wandering risk. In Colorado it is licensed as an Assisted Living Residence with a secure environment, regulated by CDPHE.
Independent living
Independent living is age restricted rental housing for older adults who do not need personal care. Rent usually includes maintenance, most utilities, activities, and one or more meals a day. It is not licensed as a care setting in Colorado, so no personal care is included.
Skilled nursing and rehab
A skilled nursing facility, sometimes called a nursing home or a rehab center, provides round the clock licensed nursing care and daily physical, occupational, or speech therapy. Colorado licenses these facilities through CDPHE, and most are also Medicare and Medicaid certified.
Respite care
Respite care is a planned short term stay in a licensed community, usually between three days and thirty days, that gives a family caregiver time off while the older adult receives the same care, meals, and activities a permanent resident receives.
Move-in support
The Tuck-In is Above & Beyond Senior Living's free four hour move-in day service. An advisor is on site to unpack essentials, hang photos, label clothing, confirm the medication list with the nurse, introduce staff by name, and make sure the first dinner and first night go smoothly.
Downsizing
Downsizing is the process of sorting, keeping, gifting, selling, donating, and discarding the contents of a home so an older adult can move into a smaller apartment. Senior move managers do this professionally, usually charging by the hour or by project.
How do you tell which level you need?
Count the daily tasks that someone else already handles: bathing, dressing, medicine, meals, getting from bed to chair. One or two means independent living may still work. Three or more, or any wandering, points to assisted living or memory care.
Our eight question care level finder gives you a recommendation in about two minutes, and a real advisor reads every answer.
What does each level cost?
Rent and care are billed separately in most Colorado buildings, so the number in a brochure is rarely the number on the bill. Memory care runs 1,000 to 2,500 dollars a month above comparable assisted living because of staffing.
Read the full Colorado senior living cost guide , or build a number for your own situation with the free cost estimator.
How do you move between levels later?
Needs change, and most families move once more within three years. Some communities hold licenses for both assisted living and memory care, so a resident changes hallways rather than addresses. Ask that question on the first tour, not the day you need the answer.
When a move does happen, our move-in support and free Tuck-In service covers the first four hours, and downsizing help handles the house.