Discover the True Benefits of Assisted Living from Someone Who Knows It Best!
Assisted living has A LOT of benefits for seniors! Let’s discover them together!
Looking at assisted living communities, you can find some really unique benefits. For example, a lot of communities organize their calendars to suit the interests of the seniors who live there.
Before choosing the community for your loved one, make sure you check out everything it can offer! Once you make the right choice, your beloved senior’s lifestyle will totally change…for the better!
Trust me, since my mother became a part of an assisted living community, her life has significantly improved. She is happier and healthier, she loves to do new things and spend time with her new friends. I am really sorry because I didn’t do this step for her earlier. Each time I call my mother she talks about how busy she is enjoying all her new hobbies.
1. Personalized Care Plans
The key benefit of assisted living is the help with daily activities, such as bathing, getting dressed, or being fed. Depending on the assisted community you live in, they provide different levels of care. The most important thing for these communities is to make sure that every senior gets the help they need, without losing their independence.
Here are some healthcare benefits this kind of community provides:
- Medication management: Making sure that seniors take the right medicines at the right times daily prevents developing serious problems and mismanagement.
- On-call nurses or trained staff: The non-stop available nurses are a real blessing. They answer emergency calls and contact ambulances in case somebody needs help immediately.
- Senior care coordination: Respecting appointments and transportation to doctors can be really difficult and is a problem a lot of seniors are dealing with. They keep forgetting about their appointments and from one point it gets really hard for them to travel alone across the city.
2. 24-hour care
Usually, seniors need help during the day, but the caregivers from assisted living communities are available 24/7. So, in case your loved one needs help during the night, don’t worry, he or she is in good hands. Just keep in mind that at night, most communities have fewer caregivers available. Many communities use technology to supervise residents during the night.
3. Activities and social events
Most of the retirees feel overwhelmed by the free time they have once they retire. But these extra hours they get are perfect for pursuing passions or starting new hobbies. By far, one of the greatest benefits of assisted living is the number of activities they have to choose from. Here are some of the most popular activities and hobbies that can be found in almost every assisted living community:
- Gardening: seniors are learning together gardening hacks while spending time outside
- Movie nights: offer great movies, popcorn, and drinks
- Poker and card tournaments: engage retirees in competitions and also encourage interaction
- Book clubs: promote debates about seniors’ favorite books
4. Scheduled outings
In addition to all the activities that are helpful inside the community, there are regularly organized excursions that residents absolutely LOVE. Here are some of their favorites:
- Museum tours:
Museum visits are great since it’s another way to keep retirees’ minds active. They love to express their opinions in small debates they create about different topics or subjects they observe at the museums. Most of the time, the debates are still going on days later after the excursion ends, showing how effective they really are.
- Group shopping trips:
Is there anything better than going shopping with a group of friends? I don’t think so. Choosing what to buy and arguing about their tastes are other activities seniors love to do.
- Live performances, concerts, or trips to the movies:
Basically, they are living like teenagers each time this kind of excursion happens, so I am really happy for my mother. She is living her best life, making new friends and memories, all of that while I know that she is completely safe. Isn’t that what we all want for our parents or loved ones?
5. Safety features
Keeping the residents safe is essential in all of the assisted living communities. So, here are some of the advantages and facilities in this kind of lifestyle:
- Minimized fall risks: falls are really dangerous and can lead to injuries that can lead to hospitalization
- Safer bathrooms: specially designed showers and grab bars to reduce the likelihood of falls
- On-call staff: emergency call buttons that can be found all over the place
6. Increased security
A lot of seniors, especially those living alone are vulnerable when it comes to security risks. Here are some of the advantages of assisted living when it comes to security:
- Security officers and alarms: all the residents are safe and every activity is monitored 24/7
- Disaster preparation: in case of an unexpected natural disaster, such as an earthquake, tornado, or fire, all the staff know what to do and how to take care of the residents
7. A more active lifestyle
My mother has a lot of energy since she became a resident in an assisted living community! She has interesting daily activities, and a lot of friends… basically, a lot of fun. She doesn’t have time to talk to me on the phone. She is always busy and up to something, and I totally LOVE that! Since my father passed away she has been through a lot, so seeing her so happy right now means the world to me. I can’t recommend enough assisted living! All the families should consider it for their seniors! It will change everything for the better, I promise.
8. A range of amenities
If you do a little research you can find AMAZING amenities for your loved one! Before choosing the community, make sure it has good amenities. For example, some seniors enjoy swimming. So, a place where can do it safely would be amazing!
Some of the amenities available can contribute to the monthly bill, but they are worth it if they make seniors feel good and have a lot of fun. Here are some of the most loved amenities by retirees, that can usually be found right near the place they live:
- barber shops and beauty salons
- indoor and outdoor pools
- hobby places, such as woodworking shop, arts and crafts room
- bars, pubs, and cafes
9. Intellectual stimulation
You probably already know that mental stimulation significantly lowers the risks of developing dementia or long-term cognitive decline. Lifelong learning is a strategy that most psychologists and therapeutics promote. In assisted living communities there are plenty of opportunities for seniors to stay engaged, such as language lessons, lending libraries, religion services, or woodworking shops.
Also, the communities often offer the following supportive services for residents:
- academic activities: guest professors often visit the communities and speak about popular topics.
- ways to combat dementia: communities offer residents opportunities to keep their brains active and combat cognitive decline.
- technology assistance: there are computer rooms and tables available. With a little bit of help from community staff, seniors can develop technical skills.
Are you scared of retirement? Or just don’t know what to do with your life anymore as a retiree? Well, we recommend you purchase this amazing book that can be found on Amazon. It’s called: 101 Fun Things to Do in Retirement: An Irreverent, Outrageous & Funny Guide to Life After Work, by Stella Rheingold, and is a bestseller! It’s, by far, an amazing gift for retirement, or a simple great read for anyone who enjoys life and laughter!
Are you interested in this topic? Here is another article you should read: How Can You Choose The Best Retirement Community?
