Quick answer
Home support and assisted living solve different versions of the problem. The useful question is whether the current home can work with reliable help, or whether housing, structure and support need to change together.
One local point to plan around in Santa Barbara: Transportation affects both options: staying home still requires access to appointments and errands, while a move changes where family travels to visit.
Compare two complete ways of living
- Map the home situation
Assess routines, safety, isolation, mobility and family backup. - Map the residential alternative
Consider housing, daily structure, social fit, cost and the move itself. - Compare the whole week
Do not compare only one service line or monthly number. - Set decision triggers
Write down what would make staying home no longer workable.
Questions that reveal what each setting would solve
- Can the current home still work with reliable support?
- How much daily structure, social contact or supervision is actually needed?
- Which change would make staying home no longer workable?
Write down the trigger that would change the decision
Compare the two options against the same week: meals, supervision, social structure, transportation, family backup, housing and total cost. A fair comparison uses the whole plan.