Assisted Living is Just Like it Sounds – A Place Where You Get Help for Daily Living Tasks

Assisted living is designed to give seniors assistance in performing basic, everyday tasks, such as cooking meals, housekeeping, and traveling to scheduled appointments. An assisted living facility then may be a good option for you if you require more assistance than what you can obtain in an independent retirement community or at home.

Patient Care

Assisted living facilities provide a safe health care environment, thereby providing seniors with help when they need it. Privacy and independence are two important qualities that assisted living residents seek as well as convenient access to housekeeping services, wellness programs, and 24-hour security. Residents receive medical care and access in the form of bathing and grooming assistance, emergency call systems, and prescription management.

Do Everyday Tasks Seem Overwhelming?

To determine if you are the right candidate for an assisted living home, ask yourself some salient questions. For example, do you feel you need more assistance than your family can supply? In other words, are your daily activities causing you to feel too overwhelmed? How about your current living environment? Do you frequently feel lonely?

Are You Concerned about Your Level of Safety?

Do you feel you have a difficult time socializing because of your current living arrangement? Maybe you are concerned about your safety. Suppose you fell and needed assistance in getting up. If your mobility is limited then, assisted living is probably a good option.

All the Comforts of Home with One Exception . . .

Assisted living is a consideration too for anyone who finds it is getting harder and harder to maintain their property. Fortunately, an assisted living facility gives you all the comforts of home without many of the tasks and responsibilities. By living in the community, you can leave such activities as cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, and clothes washing to someone else. Or, maybe you don’t drive anymore. If so, an assisted living facility can provide you with the transportation you need.

Some Signs that Your Parent May Need to Move into an Assisted Living Community

If you’re interested in an assisted living facility for your parent, then a couple warning signs might clue you in that they may need the extra help. For example, is your parent wearing the same clothing frequently? If so, he may be having trouble bathing or laundering his clothes. How about the yard? Is it being maintained? You may also find that your parent is forgetting to take his medicine or is not keeping his appointments. Depression can also be a sign that your parent feels lonely or isolated in his home.

Be Prepared

The idea of going to an assisted living facility may at first be upsetting. After all, it takes people a while to get acclimated to a new way of life, even it is better for them. If you’re making a move yourself, then make sure you are prepared well in advance of your scheduled move-in date. That way you won’t feel as much stress when you finally leave.

Participate in Community Activities

Make sure you find out all you can about the facility before you move in too. That way you’ll know what to anticipate. Once you do move in, don’t hibernate in your apartment. Start taking part in the activities and tour the facility. Get to know the residents. By taking these initial steps, you’ll get used to your new way of life just that much faster.

How Does the Staff Communicate with the Residents?

With all those pointers, you still want to make sure you find the facility that’s right for you. You can obtain a lot of information when you scrutinize the behavior of the staff. How do they interact with the residents? Do they show interest in the people living in the facility or do they appear otherwise? Do they appear friendly and truly concerned about the people there?

Do the Residents Look Happy?

Next, look at the residents? How do they appear? Are they happy? Are they having fun conversing and interacting? Do they seem like individuals you’d like to know better? Are the activities available at the facility of interest to you?

Contact the BBB

The facility should make you feel right at home and the food should smell tantalizing and look healthy. You’ll also want to find out whether the facility is complying with the local requirements for licensing. Check with the Better Business Bureau to make sure the facility is BBB-approved.

An assisted living facility offers intermediate health care accommodations, or a living environment that provides the patient with the ability to live independently with the minimum assistance from a health care staff. Where you choose to live then will depend on your physical or medical requirements and your emotional and social needs. Just because a facility is more pricey doesn’t means it’s a better place to live. Concentrate on whether the living arrangement will meet your fundamental needs and preferences.

About Author: Thomas M. Bird regularly writes about retirement communities. If you are looking for assisted living in Florida, review the Buena Vida Estates website or call the community toll-free at 800-742-0600. The community is located at 2129 W. New Haven Avenue in West Melbourne, Florida.