We’ve talked about the ‘what’ of assisted living homes, such as what benefits reap from choosing a community for assisted senior living; this article will get into the fundamental first step of finding an assisted living home: when and when to know your loved one may need to relocate. This article will help you find the five signs to remember when caring for your loved ones at your home. The five signs that you should ask yourself are for the sake that you don’t wait until their state has progressively worsened.
1. Happier mood with no chores to do
A worry-filled everyday lifestyle generally develops a sense of anxiety and a constant feeling of stress. The other benefit that assisted living homes offer is the service they provide. Services such as housekeeping, laundry, transportation, and the like are done for the seniors and are generally done in every senior living community.
When understanding the root cause of stress for every senior, figure out if it comes from the simple worries of daily tasks related to house chores. Like anyone, if there’s a sense of feeling like a weight has been lifted off the shoulders of your loved one, it’s an easy sign that they would rather live their senior years hassle-free. However, if they enjoy doing household chores, observe other moments in which they require assistance– such as in sign #2.
2. Struggle with physical activities.
Many, if not all, seniors struggle with mobility or other physical abilities at a certain age. Assisted living homes offer ADLs (activities of daily living) that are generally provided in those that highly encourage an active and independent lifestyle for seniors needing support; this simply means that seniors would go on to live freely every day with additional support from the staff.
This would be especially fitting for those who are challenged to finish simple tasks or get by with mundane activities such as walking, cleaning, cooking, etc. These homes also offer medication management– a concern for many seniors– as part of their service, working on administering or regulating a resident’s medication.
Many assisted living communities understand that their residents are unique individuals with different needs, and many offer personalized care. Some homes combine personalized care into a program and service at the same time, allowing management and staff to cater to each resident’s unique needs.
3. Cognitive decline
Cognitive decline is the progressive loss of reasoning, judging, and memory that happens when aging– the most common sign that a senior may need to transfer to an assisted living home. Assisted living homes, as well as memory care, offer comprehensive programs that are meant to stimulate seniors’ mental aspect.
However, the level of cognitive abilities would determine if one would stay at an assisted living or memory care facility. Sometimes, some senior living communities cater to both. The former are those that consistently only have mild or temporary memory loss and can still reason in the cognitive ability spectrum. The latter generally cares for seniors with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
4. Opportunities for social interaction
Aging usually comes with seniors being able to have a small social circle, leading to isolation sometimes. If you have a loved one who is bored at home or feels lonely when you are off at work as they don’t have anyone taking care of them, consider moving them into an assisted living home. Having a senior live in a vibrant and stimulating environment will boost the mental health and emotional needs of an old.
Assisted living homes offer activities and programs that enrich, encourage, and elevate the lives of each individual. Assisted living homes allow seniors to create friendships and strong bonds with other residents. Aside from residents, seniors can develop trusting and respectful relationships with staff.
5. Long-term care for your loved one
Taking care of a loved one can take a toll on your mental and physical state, as it could be exhausting. Realizing that you cannot take care of your loved one every day, on top of your other priorities, is a waste of time and money. When it comes to caring for a family does not equate to you forgetting your needs. Taking in your parents or relatives into an assisted living community means that you are thinking long-term for the benefit of you and your family.
There are many needs that an assisted living community can offer for them that you cannot give directly. It’s considered a rewarding approach to providing outsourced care for your loved one. Many of these homes meet all their mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs. You can rest easy knowing that your family member is being professionally, compassionately, and efficiently well cared for in a community that treats them like family.
Conclusion:
The key takeaway from this article is that there is no definite age as to when you should take your loved one into an assisted living community; it’s more important to keep in mind that relocating them to a state in their age where their health or needs are taking the best of them is a high-risk move.
While taking in your loved one in an assisted living home is proactive, it doesn’t mean you do not care for them; on the contrary, bringing them into a community is a testament to your understanding and acceptance that you cannot completely take care of them 24/7, as it will be destructing to you and their state.