Senior Care Community, Assisted Living Community or Independent Living Community?

Most people are hesitant in moving from their homes to a senior living community. It is because of this belief that a person loses their independence when they move into a senior living community. Senior living communities in fact, help you achieve your highest level of independence. But when is the right time to move into a community? And which community is the best choice to move into?

Deciding when to put your parents or loved ones in a senior care facility can be difficult. It will involve a lot of factors, not to mention a lot of talking between family members. The timing depends on your loved ones present health status, how they are faring at home, and near future personal and medical needs.

In this article, we prepared some questions that you can ask yourself to help the family decide:

1. Has your loved one been eating properly? Weight loss or weight gain can be a sign of an underlying medical problem. It could also mean they have a hard time preparing food.
2. Can your loved one bathe and groom themselves properly? If your loved one has a hard time in bathing and keeping themselves clean, this can put them at risk for infections in the future.
3. Look around the house, does your loved one still keep it clean and tidy? Housekeeping can become a tiring chore for an aging individual. In a senior care home, there are staff that can keep their room and spaces clean.
4. Does your loved one remember to take their medication? Most of what the elderly take are “maintenance” medicines that they need to take every day. Staff in a senior living home can take note and keep track of their medicine disbursements.
5. Can your loved one move and transfer from one place to another with ease? As we age, mobility can become challenging because of weak muscles and impaired balance. Rooms in a senior living home are designed specifically for elderly residents, so you can expect it to be accessible, with hand rails and wide spaces available.

You may feel like you have a better assessment of your loved one’s situation if you took the time to answer the questions above. Here are additional questions that may help you decide:

1. Has your loved one recently suffered a fall or an injury? The elderly are always at risk for injuries. If the answer is yes, it is better to consider placing them in an assisted living community nearby to ensure their safety in the future.
2. Is your loved one suffering from a chronic problem or diagnosis? Some senior living communities have professional and skilled nurses that take care of your loved one’s needs and make sure they are comfortable.
3. Has your loved one left home and gotten lost? Some of the elderly suffer from cognitive problems, memory loss issues, and dementia. This poses a safety risk when they are left alone at home. Senior care communities and memory care communities in which staff and nurses are carefully trained in handling senior residents diagnosed with cognitive difficulties, dementia or Alzheimer’s.

When you have finally decided that it is time to make the move, you can seek help from reputable senior placement consultants to assist in making the process smoother for all parties involved.

A senior placement consultant is a person that helps you decide the right senior living facility for your loved one. There are so many facilities available, and they offer a wide variety of services. Facilities usually take care of basic needs such as food, laundry and housekeeping. They also provide activities that keep a resident active and engaged with other residents. Other facilities offer services that can meet other medical needs of a resident.

What if your parents or loved ones are doing perfectly fine right now? What If they don’t really pose any red flags at the moment? That’s great! Really, there is no “right” time to transfer into a senior care community. The best thing to do is to plan ahead. Try to imagine what it would be like when you age. Start your research early and do not wait for a crisis to occur. The longer you wait, the less selection you may also have. Many senior living communities have medical criteria that a person should meet before they are considered for residency. Because of this, people who wait for a crisis or those that have severe medical conditions can be denied or would require more cost in terms of senior living services.

About Assisted Living Advisers of NYC, NJ, CT

Assisted Living Advisers is a FREE service which has helped hundreds of families transition their loved one’s into their ideal senior living situation. Providing Personalized, Concierge Style, Senior Assisted Living Facility and Senior Living Community Placement Services in NYC, NJ, CT.