Exploring Assisted Living Services for Aging Seniors
Only around 1.5% of seniors live in assisted living communities, but many more could benefit from them.
If you've got a loved one who is struggling with daily activities, it might be time to consider assisted living services for aging seniors. These communities provide the friendly support that your loved one needs to enjoy a fruitful life, as well as a group of other residents to whom your loved one can relate.
Deciding to try senior care is an important move and one that shouldn't be taken lightly. You must do your due diligence when selecting an assisted living community because they're not all equally beneficial.
In today's post, we'll help you navigate the selection process for your aging parents or grandparents. Read on and you'll find the perfect facility and community for your loved one's needs.
Prioritize Proximity
One of the things you must prioritize as a relative of someone entering assisted living is proximity. It's important to find a facility that's accessible for family members to make visitation easy.
No matter how good a senior living community is, it's still a major transition for your loved one. If it's too far from where you live, you won't be able to visit as much and the transition will be more difficult. On the contrary, if the community is nearby, you can visit frequently as your loved one acclimatizes to their new lifestyle.
Create a Budget
Another important consideration before you start your search for an assisted living community is your budget. Knowing how much you can spend on assisted living will help you narrow down your options.
Some facilities charge huge amounts for their services. It's important to strike a sensible balance between affordability and quality. You can find good facilities that work with your budget to give your loved ones everything they'll ever need.
Look at Reviews
To begin your search for senior living, the best thing to do is look at reviews from family members of current and former residents. These are capable of telling you everything you need to know about the quality and atmosphere of a particular community.
The main thing you want to look for is a reason to eliminate a facility from contention. Find red flags in the reviews, such as complaints about staff or problems with the actual facility. Once you've narrowed your search down to 3-5 of the best communities, you can start digging into the finer details.
Ask About Social Programs
Social activity becomes more and more important as you get older. If your loved one doesn't have an active social life with family and friends, they'll start to experience social isolation.
Social isolation is shown to lead to a variety of mental and physical health issues. Depression and anxiety are at the forefront, but there are also things like stress and dementia to worry about as well. All of these things come with physical symptoms, which can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity.
A good community will offer social programs to keep residents engaged with staff and each other. There might be outings to local establishments or events, or in-house events geared toward social activity. Residents will be given every opportunity to build relationships with one another to develop a healthy social life.
Dining and Amenities
On a more practical level, assisted living facilities should have good dining and amenities. Starting with dining, aging adults need to take their nutrition seriously. Not only will good nutrition help you avoid weight gain, but it can help you prevent certain diseases, like osteoporosis, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even some cancers.
A good assisted living facility will have an in-house cafe/restaurant with a rotating menu of nutritious meals. Residents will have the opportunity to eat a balanced diet every day without having to cook for themselves.
They'll also have amenities to keep residents engaged. Every assisted living facility has unique amenities, from salons to exercise facilities, so it really depends on which ones appeal most to your loved one.
Memory Care Programs
A big part of elderly care involves treating people with health issues. Many of these health issues are physical, but dementia and Alzheimer's affect around 6.9 million elderly Americans. If this is true of your aging parents or grandparents, they will need a facility that offers memory care.
Memory care involves a wide range of programs geared toward helping residents manage their symptoms. These symptoms are fluid and hard to predict.
It requires professional expertise and compassionate care. You'll need to get a sense of what each community's memory care services include. When these services are offered at a high level, it's the best possible place for your loved one to deal with their evolving condition.
Ask About Healthcare
Whether your loved one needs specialized memory care or not, they'll certainly need regular healthcare. Assisted living is staffed with experienced counselors and staff members to help residents with day-to-day living.
The facility will also help residents manage their physical and mental health by bringing in physicians and nurses. Every resident has unique healthcare needs, but a well-run community will help them stay on top of appointments so that conditions are properly managed.
Take a Tour
When you've got a few communities that look promising, schedule tours with all of them. You can only ascertain so much by reading websites and looking at pictures or floorplans. By going into the facility for a tour, you can see with your own eyes how the facility looks and functions.
During tours, you'll also be able to talk to staff members and see how residents live. You can sample the dining and look into vacant apartments to get a better sense of what senior living will be like. This is the best way to make the right decision for your loved one.
The Best Assisted Living Services for Aging Seniors
Now that you know how to find the best-assisted living services for aging seniors, you can begin your search. The transition into assisted living won't be easy, but the right facility will make it all more relaxed and manageable.
At Addington Place of Shoal Creek, we offer the very best assisted living services in Missouri. Our Kansas City facility is second to none and our highly trained and compassionate staff thrives on providing the best possible life for residents. To schedule a tour, don't hesitate to contact us today.