Essential Assisted Living Facts

Old age comes with challenges, and you need to have someone look after older adults in your home. However, this may not be easy, especially if you don't have a designated caregiver. Therefore, you should consider taking the senior to an assisted living facility. Here are vital assisted living facts you should know.

Signs That You Need Assisted Living Services

If the older adults under your care show the following signs, you should consider registering them in an assisted living facility. The signs include:

  • Mobility challenges

  • Forgetting to take medication

  • Significant weight gain or weight loss

  • House maintenance neglect resulting in dirty premises that cause potential health risks

  • Unable to carry out daily tasks such as grooming

These signs indicate that the senior isn't capable of living independently and requires daily assistance that you can find in an assisted living facility.

Difference Between an Assisted Living Center and a Nursing Home

An assisted living center provides care to seniors but promotes some independence. For instance, those with mobility issues usually get devices such as wheelchairs to move around and continue with their duties normally.  Some services provided include:

  • Domestic services. The services include laundry and house upkeep services to ensure proper hygiene.

  • Doctor appointment supervision. Ideally, an assisted living facility doesn't have a doctor on site. The staff usually takes the residents to doctor appointments. However, there might be a trained nurse available in some facilities.

  • Medication management. The staff is in charge of administering medication at given times to ensure that the seniors don't forget about taking the medication or abuse it accidentally.

In contrast, nursing homes provide 24-hour care to patients creating some level of dependence. Also, nursing homes usually have doctors and nurses available.

Benefits of Assisted Living Care

Living in an assisted living community has many benefits, including:

  • Social development. Assisted living facilities encourage residents to engage in their hobbies. For instance, the facilities offer games, such as board games, and clubs that encourage members to socialize. Also, these enjoyable activities improve the quality of life of the residents.

  • Safety. An assisted living facility offers supervision of seniors and helps carry out activities such as changing bulbs and cleaning floors. Such actions are risky and may result in slip and fall injuries to seniors.

The signs that you require assisted living care, the benefits of assisted living, and the difference between a nursing home and an assisted living facility are essential facts to know about assisted living. Now that you know these facts, you can confidently get assisted living care for older adults. 

Click here to learn more about assisted living facilities.  


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