Navigating Assisted Living Options: A Family Perspective
If you have a loved one who might benefit from senior care services, finding the right community can be a daunting prospect.
According to the CDC, there are over 30,000 assisted living communities active in our country. Choosing one to entrust your loved one's health and wellness requires you to do your due diligence.
You need to start by gaining an understanding of the different types of assisted living options. Once you've done that, you'll have to figure out what your loved one needs and match those needs with each community's offerings.
It's a lot of work, but it's necessary work to get your loved one the care they deserve. Fortunately, you've got us to help, so keep reading, and we'll help you find the perfect assisted-living solution for your loved one and family.
Assisted Living Options
Getting quality senior care comes down to selecting the right type of care for your loved one's needs. There are a few different senior housing options to choose from based on your loved one's health situation.
For relatively healthy seniors who want to downsize their living situation and socialize with other seniors, independent living is the best choice. These are effective retirement homes that offer resort-style living with plenty of amenities and activities to improve health and wellness.
Assisted living is better for seniors who suffer from age-related ailments that limit their ability to care for themselves. These communities have staff around 24/7 to assist with things like bathing, dressing, and taking medication.
If your loved one is one of the 6.9 million Americans suffering from Alzheimer's, they'll need assisted living with memory care. Memory care has a specific approach to help residents manage their symptoms while offering the same services as memory care. Staff are highly qualified and give custom care for each resident's unique symptoms.
Look at Ratings/Reviews
Now that you know what you're looking for, it's time to begin your search. The best place to start is on Google. Type "elderly living communities near me" into Google, and you'll see what's available locally.
It's important to consider location in your search because it helps your loved one with the transition if they're in a familiar area. It's also important for the family to be able to visit your loved one as much as possible, which is especially important in the first few months.
To separate the best from the rest, look at ratings and reviews. These can reveal a lot about daily life in a given community. In particular, they can reveal red flags about the way staff treat residents or how clean and safe the community is.
Use reviews to choose 3-5 of the top assisted living facilities nearby. Contact these communities to schedule tours alongside your loved one.
Tour Communities
Touring a few different communities allows you to see what your loved one can expect from assisted living. It's important to show up to the tours with a list of questions and concerns you may have about the services on offer.
A common concern for most families is the training that staff undergo. This is of particular concern when your loved one is entering memory care. Dementia symptoms require specific skills and plenty of experience to navigate.
There are plenty of other things to gauge while on an assisted living tour. In the rest of the article, we'll take a more detailed view of the factors you should prioritize.
Consider Amenities and Programming
The amenities a community has are often the things that tip the scale in favor of one community over another. One community might have a spa or in-house salon, while another might have walking paths and beautiful gardens. It comes down to what appeals to your loved one's interests.
All communities should offer daily events and activities for residents to take part in. These activities should be geared toward improving the socialization, wellness, and physical health of residents.
Social isolation is a major issue among American seniors, for instance. In terms of physical fitness, seniors need to get at least 2.5 hours of physical activity per week to prevent major illnesses and injuries. They also need mental stimulation to keep them sharp and prevent cognitive decline.
A community's activity calendar should have a variety of activities to meet all of these needs. It could be Tai Chi in the morning, followed by a group meditation in the afternoon and a game night in the evening. Make sure that the calendar rotates daily so residents are experiencing a range of activities.
Nutrition and Dining
Another aspect of senior health is nutrition. Your loved one needs a balanced diet to keep them healthy and avoid things like diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis. They'll have a full kitchen in their room, but not every senior wants to cook every evening.
A good assisted living community should have an in-house dining area with a rotating menu of delicious and nutritious meals.
Safety and Security
The safety and security of your loved one are always a priority in assisted living. Look for a community where staff is always supervising residents who need it. Residents should have their independence, but they should also be kept safe from wandering and falls that could result in injury.
Look for a community that offers free transportation as well. It's important for your loved one's sense of independence that they can get out of the community for both appointments and leisure. Having in-house transportation makes it easy to schedule group outings to local attractions as well.
Get Quality Senior Care in New Holstein
Use this guide and you'll be able to find high-quality assisted living options in Wisconsin. For those in New Holstein, the best-assisted living community in the area is LakeHouse New Holstein.
We offer the perfect combination of caring and experienced staff with amazing community amenities and activities. When you choose our community, your loved one will have their unique needs met daily.
To see our community for yourself, contact us today to schedule a tour with your loved one.