Protecting an Elderly Loved One

3 Signs An Elderly Loved One Is Ready For Assisted Living

by Margie Adams

Assisted living facilities are institutions that care for elderly persons with various personal and medical needs. During their stay at an assisted living facility, elderly persons (residents) get to enjoy:

  • Personal care such as bathing, grooming, dressing, and feeding if needed
  • Medical services such as checkups and access to medication
  • 24/7 monitoring in case of emergency health situations 

Enrolling an older person in an assisted living facility doesn't usually come easy. Besides, most people prefer to take care of their elders. But, taking care of an older person while juggling your day-to-day life may not be possible. Thus, assisted living is an ideal option when a senior citizen's needs come first. 

Here are three signs that tell you it's time to take your elderly loved one to an assisted living facility. 

1. Isolation and Loneliness 

Older people are usually unable to visit friends or attend social gatherings. As a result, their social lives halt because they don't have enough interactions with their age mates.

If such a situation goes on for a long time, a senior citizen can become depressed. Typical signs of depression include isolation and loneliness. Thus, if your elderly loved ones start isolating themselves or expressing loneliness, it is time to start thinking about assisted living. 

Assisted living provides an ideal social environment for elderly persons where they get to interact with their age mates. Thus, an assisted living facility can help an older person overcome loneliness and depression. 

2. Poor Living Conditions

Elderly persons are often stubborn when it comes to someone else taking care of them. Even if they struggle to perform simple duties such as bathing or tidying up their homes, they insist on doing it alone. 

But, as time passes, you start to notice that their hygiene levels and living conditions are no longer acceptable. When their hygiene and living conditions deteriorate, they are no longer in a position to look after themselves. Thus, they need assisted living. 

Assisted living facilities provide a carefree environment for senior citizens. The facilities staff look after the older person's grooming, medication, and laundry. 

Hence, enrolling your loved one in an assisted living facility ensures you no longer have to worry about their living conditions. 

3. Deteriorating Health

Monitoring the health of an elderly person is usually easy at first. But when their health starts rapidly deteriorating, it is best to have them monitored 24 hours a day. However, hiring a 24-hour caregiver may not be an option if you have limited funds. But, enrolling the older adult in an assisted living facility can be more affordable. 

In an assisted living facility, the staff constantly monitors the residents' health day and night. And if an emergency health situation arises, there is always a doctor, nurse, or ambulance on standby for such cases. 

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