Assisted living provides seniors with all the benefits of a home without the burdens of home maintenance. Cooking, cleaning, and raking are no longer required tasks.
Understandably, the move to an assisted living facility can be a major upheaval for your loved one. Be sure to acknowledge their feelings and validate their concerns.
Independent Living
Independent living is an arrangement for older adults who want help with daily tasks but would rather live in a community setting than continue to occupy their own homes. It usually reduces the number of chores and time spent on them and provides access to social activities and other amenities.
Loneliness can contribute to various health conditions, including depression, increased stress levels, and even heart disease. It can also aggravate cognitive decline. In an independent living setting, seniors are surrounded by other people in a similar life stage and are encouraged to connect.
Encourage your loved one to personalize their living space and bring over their favorite possessions to make their new home feel more like theirs. If they voice any concerns, work through them together and be prepared to visit other facilities that may offer a better fit. Ask about the facility’s suggestions, complaints, grievance procedures, and whether it has a resident and family council.
Medication Management
Managing your loved one’s medication can be complicated. Caregivers at assisted living in Saint Petersburg, FL, help keep track of prescriptions and over-the-counter medications to ensure that your loved one takes them on time and in the proper doses. They also evaluate whether their current medications are working or causing adverse effects.
Keeping your loved ones active is vital for their health, but it can be difficult when they can’t drive or leave the house. Your loved one can use various services and activities in an assisted living facility. They can enjoy healthy meals and stay social with other seniors.
It helps them maintain their independence and reduces the stress that family caregivers experience. Studies show that a good quality of life in an assisted living community can lower your loved one’s interleukin-6 levels, which may mitigate risks like dementia and heart disease.
Personal Hygiene
Regular bathing or showering, washing hands after using the restroom and before handling food, brushing teeth and cleaning the scalp hair, and dressing in clean clothes are all examples of hygiene practices. Hygiene practices may be motivated by the desire to prevent illness, healing from illness, a sense of well-being and social acceptance, or religious beliefs. Hygiene is essential because dirty bodies or clothes can harbor germs that cause infection. Washing your clothes and bed linens in hot water twice a week is recommended to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses. Assisted living facilities provide washers and dryers as needed to keep residents’ clothing and bedding clean. In addition, they can also help with other hygiene-related tasks such as hair care and nail trimming.
Socialization
Assisted living may be an option if your loved one can no longer safely drive or cook for themselves, feels isolated, and has difficulty going out without you. Communities prioritize safety by having a transparent staff-to-resident ratio, compliance with all essential safety protocols and skills, community design that prevents accidents, emergency preparedness plans, secure access to apartments, and more.
Your loved ones will also have regular socialization through planned activities. These are designed to reflect their interests, meet wellness goals, and promote mental health. They can even lead to lasting friendships with fellow residents and the staff in their community.
