As your parents get older, they become less able to take care of themselves. Whether that’s keeping up with the yard work, cooking with care, or getting in and out of the bath safely, at a certain point it becomes quite concerning. This is especially true when first there were both parents but, later, only one remains and they’re feeling lonely too.
Assisted living communities are a possible solution to the above difficulties that they’re facing. When you don’t live nearby, these communities offer the added support that’s needed. Here are four reasons to consider one of these facilities for them.
Get a Sense of Community Back
When your parent(s) are feeling alone and isolated, one of the best improvements with community living is making new friends. When living in the same place and dealing with many similar issues relating to aging, it’s good to have company. It makes any hardships easier to bear and it can become a positive experience.
The Livingston assisted living from Brandywine Living provides activities like a walking club to exercise with new friends, regular movie matinees, and morning yoga for the ultra-flexible. Many living facilities like these will put on activities that encourage group participation.
Active Memory Care Integration
A gradual loss of memory including difficulty in remembering recent or distant experiences is commonplace for aging parents. It can happen gradually, but you may notice a few things they don’t seem to remember or gloss over as unimportant because they fail to recall it.
Fortunately, assisted living communities are well versed in providing memory care within their holistic programs. The idea is to provide varied stimulation for the physical, emotional, social, therapeutic, and other aspects of living to deliver a well-rounded life experience. Adjustments are then made to accommodate any memory loss to prevent it from becoming an impediment to living a complete life.
Safer Living Standard
As a sibling with aging parents, their safety becomes an increasing concern. Just getting in and out of the bath becomes riskier as their sense of balance and lack of grip strength due to arthritis worsens. Similarly, cooking safely with boiling water on the go and heavy pans to crouch down and lift out of the oven are worrisome activities too. Communities that provide assisted living offer a group meal service. Because of this, it’s no longer necessary for them to cook their own meals. They’re often assisted with bathing too – should that be needed – to avoid any accidents there (80% of elderly accidents are in the bathroom).
Difficulty with Managing Finances
Juggling all the financial demands of living at home can become too much with age. Also, frailty and being unclear around the subject of money makes elderly parents vulnerable to people who prey on this. With assisted living, many of the usual bills go away. Sometimes, the home is sold once they are settled into the community and happy there. At that point, life becomes simpler and less stressful as a result.
There are different reasons why an assisted living community is the right choice. Sometimes, parents realize that a change would be good for them while others actively resist it. However, learning about some of the advantages can be persuasive, especially if they’re increasingly feeling isolated or lonely.
