In life, everyone needs a little help sometimes. Whether you’re young and just starting out your career or older and can no longer get up the stairs, assistance can sometimes be key to a good life. While assisted living facilities have sometimes been stereotyped negatively as “old folks’ homes” where nothing of substance happens, it couldn’t be further from the truth.
Senior living facilities are one of the fastest-growing industries for a reason: older individuals need a place to live too! Especially if they are experiencing medical problems, can’t get around, or simply need help with running their day-to-day life. In this article, we’ll navigate around what some of the positives of assisted living facilities are and how your older loved one might be able to benefit from them.
Everyone Needs a Little Help Sometimes
Assisted living facilities offer a variety of care to older individuals that they can’t do for themselves. Simple things that we take for granted such as bathing, carrying groceries in, or giving ourselves medication are the mainstay of such facilities. In fact, almost 40% of assisted living residents received assistance with three or more daily living activities that improve their lives. When you have someone in your court to help you out with things, it just simply makes life easier. It’s no shame to admit to yourself an older loved one could use some help with things, and to hire someone to assist with this!
Medical Needs are Taken Care of
Your older loved ones probably have some medical problems at this point in their life. But do you know how to take care of them and provide for them when things go wrong? Assisted living facilities commonly have a doctor on staff and nurses that have been trained in all manner of responding to elder crises. Unless you’re thinking about getting this training yourself and providing it for your older loved ones, it’s probably best to start thinking about assisted living facilities. Not only will their quality of life be vastly improved, but you no longer have to worry about some medical issue cutting their life short by any number of days, months, or even years.
Socialization and More
As we age, people around us pass on or move to other places in their life. When we get old enough, we might not be surrounded by anyone that we grew up with or are even related to. This can be incredibly lonely and isolating, but it doesn’t stop our need for socialization at all. Humans are social creatures, and perhaps one of the greatest benefits of assisted living facilities is that they provide socialization venues for our older loved ones. Whether they’re swapping stories or recipes, it can be amazing to finally be around people your own age, even if they aren’t in the best of health.
Many elderly people who enter into assisted living facilities no longer have a spouse or significant other of their own, and this is a time in their life when they can actually fall in love again. It’s not uncommon for elderly people to form entirely new relationships that remind them of when they were younger and more virile. Some even get married, live in the same room or space at the assisted living facility, and more.
Everything You Need, All in One Place
When people think of assisted living facilities, they don’t often stop to dwell on how these places are one-stop shops for your older loved ones. Whether they need pressing medical care, simple help doing daily chores, or simply want to be around people their own age, an assisted living facility truly does have it all. Like renting a vacation home or buying a combo meal, an assisted living facility puts together all the resources your older loved one will need in one place. When you care about someone, you give them the resources that they’ll need to succeed and thrive. Why would this change just because you’ve aged? If you’re looking for assisted living facilities Sarasota County FL, then make the right choice and look at facilities such as DeSoto Palms for your older loved one.