When married couples have spent a lifetime together, growing old together is a blessing and a gift. But as both spouses age, maintaining a home and property becomes significantly more difficult. One or both spouses may be ill, or one may be a caregiver, and they may no longer be able to drive or get around like they used to. Life has a way of changing as the years go by, but for these couples, their life together remains constant. Another thing that doesn’t change – senior citizen spouses continue to make decisions that will be best for them as a couple.
Although many seniors may not consider moving into an assisted living facility until they are living independently, today may be the ideal time to consider making a move together. There are many ways that an assisted living home can enhance a couple’s quality of life while making some of the difficulties of aging a little easier. These facilities can ease the stress of owning a home and caring for their spouse – but they also give senior couples the ability to continue living their best life together.
Assisted living residences offer the potential for new friendships, social engagements, and the support couples may need as they age. What can spouses expect when moving into an assisted living facility? Let’s take a look at the benefits.
No More Home Maintenance
Spouses who own their property could become overwhelmed with the everyday chores and tasks inherent in owning a home. Maintaining the lawn, cooking every meal, doing the laundry, cleaning a house, and doing minor repairs can become a burden. Still, none of these responsibilities exist at an assisted living facility. The staff handles these tasks and many more, and residents can spend their days together as they desire – learning something new, joining the bridge club, learning a new hobby, or working on art projects.
Making New Friends
Assisted living facilities provide a living space that encourages social engagement, with common areas and amenities created to encourage residents to meet new people and make new friends. Dining rooms are perfect for starting conversations and getting to know “the neighbors,” and social events allow people of like interests and hobbies to meet each other and connect. Activities and programs, from book clubs to yoga classes, provide the ideal opportunity to grow a social network.
Spouses can meet new people together or on their own – even long-married couples don’t have all the same interests. The opportunities for meeting others in an assisted living facility are varied and diverse. While an extroverted wife plays cards and goes to the theater with her new friends, her husband can watch the big game with his new sports buddies.
Support is Always Nearby
One of the most difficult aspects of aging with a spouse is in the case of a medical issue – especially if one spouse or the other needs assistance (or is a caregiver). It can put an excessive amount of stress on their partner. Married couples in senior living facilities can have peace knowing that staff is there to take on that heavy responsibility. Neither spouse has to have anxiety about their partner getting injured or sick because the facility will have professionals on-site to help. They will also help set up rides to doctor’s appointments or call EMS if necessary. The assisted living lifestyle permits senior couples to relax and give the burden of caregiving to someone else – while they simply enjoy life with the one they love.
If dementia becomes a reality for one partner or another, a residence designed to also serve memory care patients will allow the couple to continue to live together.
A Banyan Residence is a professional assisted living and memory care center located in The Villages. Call today if you and your spouse seek a new, safe, supportive place to live together.
