Getting older has its challenges, and difficulties with physical and mental activities are just one of the hardships many Americans face as they age. If you have an aging family member starting to require assistance in their daily life, you might have considered placing them in an assisted living facility. But what benefits do assisted living facilities provide, and how will this type of residence help your loved one and family through these life transitions?
When someone who requires daily help moves into an assisted living facility, there are two parties who will benefit: your loved one and their family. The stress and responsibilities of this situation also affect all those in their lives. If you are unaware of the many benefits of these residences, read on and decide if an assisted living facility is the right choice for your senior loved one.
Assisted Living Facilities – 4 Reasons to Consider Them
The comfort and care of your family member should be of utmost importance. Assisted living and memory care facilities help your loved one in numerous ways.
1. Assistance With Daily Tasks
When someone decides to place an older loved one into care, it reflects the individual’s reliance on outside help. Aging can turn seemingly routine activities into activities too challenging to achieve alone. Though independence at assisted living facilities is a high priority, ensuring all residents’ basic needs are met is the primary goal. Cooking, cleaning, dressing, and self-care are just some of the activities that staff members are trained to help with in a caring manner. Staff members can also play a vital role in ensuring that your loved one is safely and routinely taking all of their required prescriptions.
2. Increased Social Interactions
Assisted living facilities are essential in combatting the increasing rate of elder social isolation. By providing a safe and enclosed living area for all residents, your loved one can independently seek out activities, friends, and social opportunities on the facility grounds. Even for seniors who do not actively seek out social interactions, the time they spend daily with staff is often helpful in reducing the risk of depression in immobilized or house-confined individuals. Assisted living facilities also offer opportunities for outings in a safe and supervised manner for those who are unable to drive or venture out in public independently.
3. Improved Diet and Exercise
High-quality assisted living facilities will serve nutritional food and provide ample opportunities and options for safe exercise for their residents. As we age, it is more important than ever to care for our bodies properly. Residents may also request specific meals or dietary restrictions, which would be hard for an individual to accomplish on their own if they were not moved to an assisted living facility.
4. Benefits For You and Your Family
If your loved one continued to live at home, members of the family would likely have to help them with ADLs, errands, and other day-to-day activities. One of the primary benefits of assisted living facilities is the peace of mind of knowing that your loved one is being cared for by trained professionals. It might be hard to give up control and allow your loved one to move into an assisted living facility, but the well-being and happiness of your loved one should always be the most important consideration.
If there is a senior family member in your life that needs more assistance than you can provide them, you should consider an assisted living facility. Here at A Banyan Residence, we’ve transformed the perception of what assisted living & memory care can be. Come visit our facility in The Villages today.
