With the holidays comes many close, intimate interactions with family. It is during these heartfelt, family-based moments in which genuine truths and concerns about a loved one’s well-being are often realized and discussed. Deciding that your loved one may need a higher level of care can be a difficult thing to consider, but with the proper information and planning your loved one’s move to assisted living can be made into a natural, smooth transition.
“Bringing up the idea of needing a higher level of care can be a stressor for many individuals, especially during the holidays,” states Deb Hunter, RN, Assistant Executive Director at Greenwood House, a not-for-profit, mission-based senior living community located in Ewing, New Jersey. “However, the holiday season offers sentimental time with loved ones, often not available throughout the rest of the year, in which you can fully discuss the many signs that may result in a possible move to assisted living in their future.”
Is It Time for Assisted Living?
When connecting with family this holiday season, consider these five points by the National Council For Aging Care to evaluate if beginning the move towards assisted living may be necessary for your loved one.
- Living Environment – Is Their Home Safe?
Slips, trips and falls can become potential life-threatening medical emergencies for seniors living alone. Worsening medical conditions as well as tripping hazards may cause one’s home to no longer be a safe place for them anymore.
Assisted living communities put your loved one’s safety as their first priority. Being fully accessible without the need for expensive home alterations, assisted living communities like Greenwood House can offer your family some peace of mind that your loved one is safe and cared for, even when you are not around.
- Diet – How Are Their Eating Habits?
Seniors who have spent their entire life serving meals for a whole family may struggle with cooking smaller portions. As a result, you may find that your loved one eats out a lot more than normal or maintains a very mundane, unhealthy diet. Even worse, your loved one may be eating very small meals or spending days eating nothing at all.
Living in an assisted living community removes the need to cook, while still offering your loved one three healthy meals a day. Greenwood House also takes into account your loved one’s dietary needs, something they may not be maintaining to their best ability cooking at home.
- Daily Living Tasks – Are They Struggling to Keep Up?
A lot goes into the upkeep of a home. Yardwork, dishes, cleaning and laundry are tedious, time-consuming tasks that can become extremely overwhelming for seniors. These burdens may result in your loved one leaving tasks undone, letting the dirt and grime pile up.
These concerns are all taken care of when living in an assisted living community. All these household chores are done for you at Greenwood House, allowing your loved one the ability to fully partake in the activities they love, stress and worry free.
- Lifestyle – Are They Becoming Sedentary?
As seniors get older, daily aches and pains may make it difficult for them to travel to activities which they once enjoyed. Combined with the inability to drive confidently, many seniors simply choose not to leave their house and find themselves becoming sedentary.
Living in an assisted living community offers your loved ones the ability to have plenty of activities they enjoy just a short walk from their doorstep. Greenwood House offers various physical therapy and other metabolic programs which will help your loved one stay active without the concern of travel.
- Socialization – Are They Becoming Isolated?
Linked with a sedentary lifestyle, many seniors find themselves becoming isolated from friends and family. This may be the result of difficulty traveling greater distances or may stem from their close friends being further away, leaving them feeling extremely lonely. This sense of isolation in seniors has been directly linked to higher rates of depression and mortality.
Assisted living offers your loved one plenty of opportunities to connect with others without the concern of traveling far from home. At Greenwood House, with numerous activities and groups, your loved one will surely make great friends who share their interests and passions.
For many individuals, bringing up the possibility of moving to assisted living may be difficult to consider. However, struggles like those listed above may mean that your loved one needs the higher level of care offered at assisted living communities. As with any big change, proceed slowly and cautiously when discussing such possibilities with your loved one. Remind them throughout the entire process that the main goal is ultimately to do what is best for your loved one – so they can keep enjoying the holidays with you and your family for years to come!
If you need assistance with your search and want to learn more about what assisted living has to offer your loved one, give Greenwood House a call today at (609) 358-0425.
You’ll Love the Way We Care.
Offering an array of services including skilled nursing, assisted living, rehabilitation, homecare and hospice care, Greenwood House offers care with a higher purpose. As a not-for-profit, mission-based senior living community, we hold ourselves to a higher standard.
When we opened our doors in 1939, we made a promise to care for seniors, and as their needs evolve and change, so do ours. We take pride in meeting various needs and desires, and providing a lifestyle that enriches lives, increases peace of mind and ensures care for today and tomorrow.
For more information or to schedule a tour, contact our team today at (609) 358-0425.