10 Best Assisted Living Facilities in Venice, FL

Paying for assisted living depends largely on the senior’s circumstances. Some seniors foot the entire bill through private resources, while others may combine their personal funds with public benefits. To help you understand your loved one’s options, we’ve provided details on a range of payment methods below, including personal funds, Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, Medicaid, and Medicare.

Like many states, Florida assisted living communities have to be licensed under the Bureau of Health Facility Regulation.^[03] The Bureau has different assisted living licenses:

• Assisted Living Facility licenses are for traditional assisted living communities.
• Adult Foster Care licenses are for small residential care homes.
• Extended Congregate Care licenses are for assisted living facilities that provide skilled nursing services.

Assisted living communities can provide the following services:^[04]

• Housing
• Meals
• Personal care
• Medication administration or support

Staff requirements

The number of staff required usually depends on the size of the Venice assisted living community. In most cases, each community must always have someone available who’s certified in first aid and enough staff on site to make sure all residents’ needs are met.

All assisted living staff pass background checks in addition to screenings every five years. They must also be trained in personal care, and more training is required if they work with seniors who have Alzheimer’s or dementia.^[04]

Inspections

Once licensed, assisted living communities are subject to regular inspections. These inspections will assess the state of the property and whether the community is providing the appropriate services associated with its level of licensing.

If you’re interested in reviewing past inspection reports, visit the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration website. You can either search with the interactive map to find your region, or you can enter information on the assisted living community. Choose “assisted living facility” for the provider type, and then enter the community name and address. Click “continue” to view the search results. Click “select” to the left of the community’s name to read a community’s report.

Florida Department of Health

Department of Health: Sarasota main office

2200 Ringling Blvd.
Sarasota, FL 34237

Phone: 941-861-2900

COVID-19 regulations for Venice assisted living facilities

Florida has no specific COVID-19 mandates for assisted living facilities aside from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. However, individual communities may have additional regulations in place to protect residents. Check with the facility in question for further information.

Venice is a picturesque retirement city. Residents love the area’s stunning swimming beaches, subtropical climate, and beautiful architecture. Your loved one will enjoy staying in an assisted living community with a tropical color palette and plenty of natural beauty.

These communities allow seniors to live comfortably while providing a little extra assistance with daily activities, such as bathing or dressing. And while some communities offer simpler amenities, others make residents feel as though they’ve moved to a luxury resort.

Accommodations and amenities

Moving to a Venice assisted living facility doesn’t mean your loved one will spend every moment in their apartment. Rather, seniors have access to a range of common areas and senior-specific amenities:

• Indoor and outdoor pools
• Salons and barber shops
• Courtyards
• Suite or apartment living, typically one- or two-bedroom apartments
• Libraries
• Fitness centers
• Gardens
• Walking paths

In some of our partner resort-style communities, seniors can expect to find the following additional amenities:

• Bocce ball courts
• Putting greens
• Sculpture gardens
• Movie theaters
• Resort-style pools
• Dog parks

Activities and social opportunities

One of the things you should know about assisted living communities in the Venice area is that most have an activity director on staff.^[01] Your senior family member can expect their social calendar to be full of the following social opportunities and events:

• Wellness activities
• Exercise classes
• Live musical performances
• Continuing education classes
• Shopping trips
• Social outings to local attractions and restaurants and nature preserves
• Family events
• Cooking demonstrations
• Devotional services

Transitional care opportunities

While there are a couple of communities that offer assisted living exclusively, most make it easy to age in place with a combination of senior living options, such as independent living and memory care. They also provide additional care-related services outside of personal care. Here’s a breakdown of the communities we partner with in the Venice area:

• Three stand-alone assisted living facilities
• Six assisted living and memory care facilities
• Two assisted living and independent living facilities
• Five combination assisted living, memory care, and independent living facilities

Best hospitals for seniors in Venice

Seniors in Venice have access to several hospitals in the Health Corporation of America (HCA) network as well as a VA clinic.

Transportation for seniors in Venice

Transportation services provided by an assisted living community are a safe and reliable way to get around this mostly car-dependent city. In fact, 94% of the communities in our partner network provide residents with either complimentary or at-cost transportation services.^[02]

When friends or family visit, public transit may be a helpful option if they don’t bring their own cars. Sarasota County’s Breeze Transit operates bus lines in Venice, and each bus is wheelchair-accessible. However, bus lines in Venice are limited.^[07]

If your loved one requires transportation outside of what’s provided by the assisted living community, look into Breeze OnDemand, which is a curb-to-curb rideshare service for individuals unable to use fixed routes.

Venice is also somewhat walkable and bike friendly. It’s a bit easier to get around on foot in the Venice Edgewood and East Gate neighborhoods, and there are plenty of bike routes throughout the city.

The numbers below from Walk Score indicate how accessible each mode of transportation is in Venice. Walk Score rates cities for the ease of getting around on a scale of 0 to 100, and high scores point to the most available type.^[07]

Things to do in Venice for seniors and their families

Getting involved and staying connected isn’t a problem for seniors living in Venice. The majority of our partner assisted living communities offer plenty of on-site activities for residents, such as cooking classes and yoga, and there’s much to explore within the city itself.

Local attractions

If your elder family member has a free afternoon, then take a trip to the Venice Farmers’ Market. Every Sunday, you’ll find booths selling bread, seafood, arts, and gifts, among other things. Make a full day of the market by grabbing lunch at one of the food vendors and enjoying some live music played by one of the area’s many musicians.

If a more educational outing is preferred, the Ideal Classic Cars and Showroom is part museum, part dealership. There’s also the Venice Museum and Archives. It features more than 30,000 photographs, archives, and other objects related to Venice’s history. Seniors may also enjoy visiting the William H. Jervey, Jr., Venice Library to browse books from their favorite author.

Outdoor activities

Looking to get active? Centennial Park offers plenty of walking paths flanked by beautiful landscaping. Plus, the park is pet-friendly. And if you schedule it right, you and your senior loved one may get a chance to hear some live music at the gazebo. Or, visit Brohard Paw Park for a specifically pet-friendly outing. It has benches for visitors and a wheelchair-friendly boardwalk.

If your loved one want some time to sunbathe on the sand, Venice Beach has boardwalks and free parking. Plus, it’s certified as a Blue Wave clean beach. The Venice Fishing Pier and the Venice Area Audubon Society are also great places to enjoy the outdoors and get in some fishing or birdwatching.