TRANSCRIPT:
So a common question that we get is, when is it appropriate to move into assisted living, and what signs should I be looking for?
Ultimately, what you’re trying to discover is, is there a decline in quality of life because somebody is living independently? And a declining quality of life can occur because of both mental and physical reasons.
Now, the first step would be looking at their dietary patterns. Is somebody who is once passionate about cooking, now eating frozen meals? Are they getting enough nutrition? Or, are they even losing weight, which is often a leading indicator of a decline in somebody’s health?
Then look at their social patterns and their social relationships. Are they maintaining their friendships? Or, are they following through with their routines and hobbies? Or, are they beginning to isolate as they age and no longer doing the things that made them happy and stimulated?
Now, those can be a little bit harder to observe. But easier ones would be, how do they appear? What is their appearance? Are they wearing clean clothing? Does it look like they’ve bathe recently? Has their hair been brushed even?
When you’re looking around their house, at their medications, are there medications that are expired? And then on the mental side, are you seeing lapses in memory or just a decline? Are they withdrawing and being less communicative?
The most difficult one to observe is when there is a spouse acting as a caregiver for another person. Often so, they are acting as a caregiver at the expense of their own health. And we see this a lot where children are concerned that one of their parents need assisted living, and the other one is kind of getting over their skis trying to take care of that one person.
There may come a time where you have to encourage somebody to consider assisted living for their own health and well-being so that person does get the care they require, not at the expense of another.
—-
With respect for the personal taste and preference of each resident our professional, caring staff helps to create purpose and meaningful days so that each of our residents can enjoy the quality of life that they deserve. At A Banyan Residence Assisted Living and Memory Care, we are fully committed to providing our residents with superior individual care service, a quality lifestyle, and exceptional experiences. We go beyond the health and well being of our residents.
A Banyan Residence – Assisted Living
12427 Co Rd 101
Oxford, Florida 34484
Office: (352) 618-3900
