The topic of moving into an assisted living home can be a tricky one to navigate. On one hand, seniors understand that they should have the freedom to live the rest of their life the way they intend to. On the other, assisted living provides many benefits that may ease the stress that comes with aging both on the resident, and their family members.
So what is best? Well, no one can definitively prove staying at home, or moving out is better, but we wanted to outline some of the main benefits we have realized assisted living has!
1. Safety
The first, and probably most obvious benefit of assisted living is that it provides a safe haven for the elderly. Most facilities have a 24-hour staff and advanced security systems that provide a watchful eye. For many who move in, this acts as a significant upgrade from their outdated systems at home that put them at risk!
2. Provides Cognitive Stimulation
As we age, it becomes more and more crucial to engage in stimulating activities that reduce the risk of developing cognitive impairments. Many communities, such as Glen Park, an assisted living Long Beach CA facility, provide their residents with social and recreational activities that are cognitively stimulating. This can include cooking, dancing, art classes, and much more.
3. Reduces Stress
Although the process of moving out of your home can be stressful and difficult, once you are in the assisted living home, life becomes easy. Not only do residents find themselves relaxing more, but their family members do too! They no longer find themselves responsible for getting their beloved seniors to and from doctors appointments, worrying about the state of their health, or wondering whether or not they will make it to the grocery store. They know that the dedicated caregivers will take care of this for them making everyone’s life a little more stress-free.
4. Transportation
Getting to and from even the grocery store becomes difficult as we age. There comes a point where we all have to accept that we are not fit to drive, but what happens next? Do we have to rely on expensive delivery services for everything we need? Maybe we will get our children or other family members to help out, but they aren’t always going to be around. Many, if not all assisted living communities offer transportation services that allow their residents to get their freedom back and travel on their own time again!
5. Improved Wellbeing
Living in an assisted home means that you will be surrounded by trained medical professionals 24/7. If anything were to go wrong, like a nasty fall, someone will be there to help in an instant! At home, this is more difficult. If you slip and can’t get up on your own willpower, what are you supposed to do? Having this oversight may be daunting at first, but in reality, everyone in assisted living homes is there to help you stay healthy and happy.
So yes, there is no ‘best’ option, but we firmly believe that assisted living communities provide numerous benefits that are difficult, if not impossible, to replicate at home. It can be a difficult conversation to navigate, but an extremely important one to have.