Many families are dealing with this question. They are noticing that mom or dad or both are not maintaining their home like they used to and are letting more things slide as they struggle to keep up. It can be a tricky situation because many seniors are very resistant to accepting more care in the home or moving to an assisted living community.
Retirement communities, like the Eastern Star Masonic Retirement Campus, are designed to help seniors with their activities of daily living so the resident can enjoy the day without worry. Staff provides dignified care making the resident feel comfortable with the activities of daily living that they used to be able to do themselves. This includes dressing, bathing, toileting, providing meals, and managing medications to name a few. Although the resident is receiving services, they still feel like they are independent. The biggest fear of seniors is losing their independence.
If you or someone you know is needing more help, but not on board with receiving assistance or moving to an assisted living community, a good starting point is to suggest a visit to their doctor to review how safe the senior is without assistance. Hearing advice from a doctor can be very powerful.
Another strategy is to visit a nearby retirement community. Before you do this, however, it is a good idea to do your homework first and check out the community yourself to make sure it will meet the needs of your loved one.
A good strategy is to bring your loved one for a fun activity and then have lunch at the community. This is a non-threatening way to introduce the idea of a different lifestyle with the side benefit of getting care for the activities that they are no longer able to do.
Most seniors want to stay in their home, but when it becomes difficult or impossible to live safely, the senior may not have a choice. This is why it is so important to include them in the research and touring of communities.
Convincing your loved one to move to assisted living can be a challenge, but with the right approach you can accomplish the task making both parties happy. For more information on the Eastern Star Masonic Retirement Campus in southeast Denver, please call Diane or Debra at 303 857-5043.