Roughly one-third of older adults will live in some kind of nursing home in their lifetime. Those who are not in as much need of daily care often make do in assisted living communities.
Understanding the benefits of assisted living can help you decide whether or not it’s the right choice for your loved one. After all, it’s only one of the many types of senior care options available. Someone you know may need more or less care depending on their current condition and health.
Here is all you need to know about those benefits and what to expect.
Personal Care
Even though assisted living communities do not provide as much hands-on care as nursing homes, they do provide a suitable amount for each resident.
Some of the types of assistance include helping residents bathe, get dressed, and manage their medications. They may also be assisted with more personal tasks such as communicating with their doctors or friends and family.
The level of attention each resident receives will depend on their specific needs. Some may be fine with something as simple as housekeeping services or help receiving their medicine from the pharmacy. Others may have mobility issues that require assistance every morning.
Safety and Security
All residential care options come with a heightened level of safety and security as opposed to living at home alone. The best communities should have secure entrances and exits, as well as emergency response systems set up.
If your loved one falls or has a medical issue, there should be someone there to help them within minutes. Staff is available 24/7 to respond to their needs.
Each room comes with monitoring technology to track a resident’s activity. There will also be video surveillance in rooms, hallways, and elevators to prevent theft and boost security.
Social Interaction
Loneliness is a significant issue for people as they grow older. Family moves out and away, and it gets more difficult to travel out to see them. Nursing home care may be the only social interaction they get every day.
When your loved one moves into a senior living community, they also gain access to the other residents. Assisted living communities encourage this interaction through regularly scheduled activities, communal dining areas, and other types of common spaces.
The staff can also help set up video-calling technology so you can check in on your family members whenever.
Nutritional Meals
Maintaining proper nutritional intake can be difficult for seniors, as they may not be inclined to cook meals for themselves. It can also be a challenge to visit the grocery store or even navigate it.
Eating the right foods is essential for maintaining muscle health, energy levels, and bone health. A senior care home provides well-balanced meals crafted to meet each resident’s dietary needs.
You can expect each meal to take into account a resident’s various health conditions and preferences. The best part is they don’t have to cook the meals themselves or worry about cleaning up afterward.
Housekeeping Services
Another task that residents won’t have to worry about is housekeeping. Residents at assisted living communities don’t need to do chores such as yard work or cleaning. The staff takes care of it all or outsources the work.
What this means is that your loved one can focus on enjoying their retirement or engaging in some of their other interests. This is especially helpful for seniors with mobility difficulties who need extra help.
Of course, the staff will let each resident know in advance when they are arriving. They will also bring their own equipment, such as a vacuum cleaner and cleaning chemicals.
Transportation Services
One of the biggest benefits of assisted living communities is that they often offer transportation services for seniors who need to travel somewhere close by.
Unfortunately, some seniors are no longer able to drive or do not feel comfortable behind the wheel. These individuals have access to various modes of transportation such as scheduled shuttles to nearby events or medical appointments.
These visits will be arranged in advance, so a resident can even go shopping with a helper’s assistance.
Health and Wellness Programs
Services for residents don’t stop at transportation or home care. Most facilities include various fitness programs meant to help promote good senior health, both mental and physical.
These include yoga classes, walking clubs, and swimming pool access. Each activity is tailored to the resident’s physical capabilities. They are also allowed free roam across the community if they choose to go for a stroll in their spare time.
Some popular exercise classes include aqua aerobics, Tai Chi, Zumba, and strength training.
Regular wellness checks ensure that no change or development goes unnoticed. Community staff also stay in touch with healthcare providers to ensure that each resident sees their doctors when necessary.
Adaptability to Changing Needs
A senior living community wouldn’t work if the staff couldn’t adapt to their changing needs. It’s natural for people to develop problems like hearing loss, vision loss, back pain, and mental health issues as they age. There’s only so much modern medicine can do to hold back these ailments.
As such, it’s important for senior care to take these problems into account. A resident who has strong mobility one year may find themselves losing it the next. The staff needs to be able to accommodate those changing needs.
This also means that each resident should be able to continue living in their community even when new problems arise.
Understanding the Benefits of Assisted Living
Understanding the benefits of assisted living means putting yourself in the shoes of your senior loved ones. How would you want to be treated when you move out of your home and into a new community? What kind of amenities would be most important to you?
Conservatory at Champion Forest is the best retirement community in Spring, Texas. Our community offers ready access to parks, nature trails, a noted bird sanctuary, and so much more. Reach out today to view apartment home pricing and details about our various rooms.
