By CJ Lydon, Senior Living Community Advisor
“WHY” should someone look at moving their loved one or themselves into a Senior Living Community? An important topic to discuss initially, is that it is o.k. to admit you need help. If you are the senior citizen trying to manage the upkeep of your home, yard, pool, doctor. visits, shopping, cooking, cleaning, paying the bills, fixing or having to schedule home repairs, etc. and it’s all getting to be too much, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Maybe you are the spouse or family member who is having to do all of the above mentioned tasks for a loved one and you still have a home, family, career and well-being of your own to manage as well.
This is why you should consider the best option that addresses all of the needs and worries that are causing you concern, discomfort, hardship and more. Senior Living Communities are designed to take what is getting harder off your plate so to speak, and hand those cares to specially trained professionals that will not only meet your needs, but work tirelessly to exceed your needs and bring new life to senior living!
Another why are what we call the “Six Dimensions of Wellness.”
Emotional Dimension: Studies have found that seniors with a positive outlook on life lived an average of 7.5 years longer than those who were burdened with the cares of life.
Purposeful Dimension: People with a high sense of purpose are 23% more likely to live a longer more satisfying life and are 19% less likely to have a heart attack or stroke.
Social Dimension: The health risks of prolonged isolation have both physical and cognitive negative implications and can shorten one’s life span.
Intellectual Dimension: Providing continuous opportunity to stimulate the brain to learn new things as well as to recall previous learned behaviors and activities.
Physical Dimension: Engaging in as little as 20 minutes of exercise or movement like walking around tree-lined walkways and ponds can act as an anti-inflammatory.
Spiritual Dimension: Researchers have found that people who have mediation/self-reflection/religious affiliations have much lower risk of diseases.
It is very important to understand that some Senior Living Communities are designed to offer a home where the senior can “age in place.” This refers to their ability to properly care for their residents as their personal medical care requirements change and increase over time. This could be from not needing any assistance initially to at some point needing help with tasks such as managing their daily medications or assistance with bathing, etc. It would also include more advanced services such as assistance with all daily tasks due to cognitive decline such as with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Not many people like to move. So, it is imperative especially with our senior citizens that we choose the correct community from the onset. This way they can remain in familiar surroundings and with neighbors and staff they have formed relationships with. Unfortunately there are some communities who don’t want the appearance of seniors needing additional care as it doesn’t align with their marketing. This is not the type of community that will be able to care for your loved one in the long term. Continuity in care is vital!
It is never too early to inquire about why you think it might be time to talk about the transition from you or your loved one living alone or even with family into a Senior Living Community. Why do you take your vehicle to a mechanic, your pet to a Veterinarian or yourself to a Doctor? It is because we know that there are people who are trained to provide those services. Likewise, it is o.k. to acknowledge that you need help in caring for yourself or loved one or just don’t want the hassle anymore of all that goes with living by yourself. Give yourself permission to seek guidance and assistance. Your entire family will benefit from you taking this important first step of saying “why” you think it’s time for a Senior Living Community to become part of your extended family.
Do you have questions about why Senior Living? Contact me at (850) 543-3339.
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