Caring for your elderly parent or grandparent can be very difficult and take a toll on your overall life. You may not find enough time to care for your senior amidst your job-related commitments or other duties. You may even find that having an in-house caregiver is not enough to manage the needs of your senior. In such cases, it will be a wiser choice to move your loved one to an assisted living facility.
An assisted living community is not like a traditional nursing home or a retirement home. They offer many different levels of care services depending upon the specific needs of their residents. Besides, assisted living facilities also motivate residents to take part in recreational activities and socialize with others in the community. This helps to keep seniors in an assisted living facility mentally and physically active.
Although it is not that easy to move your parent or grandparent to an assisted living community, it may be the best decision for your senior. Below are some signs that tell it is time to move to assisted living.
Aggression
If your loved one is showing signs of aggression and frequently becomes frustrated even with minor things, then it can be very stressful to provide care for them in your home. This usually happens because your senior loved one will be confined to staying at the house most of the time. A change in the scenery by moving to assisted living can help to lift their mood and allow your loved one to live a happy and contented life with likeminded people in the assisted living facility.
Specialized Care
If your parent or grandparent needs specialized care that is not manageable by you or an in-home caregiver, then you should consider moving them to an assisted living community. This is especially important for seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Assisted living facilities offer specialized care for all their residents and will have trained staff round-the-clock at the premises to help your senior with their needs. Besides, the surroundings in assisted living will also be more friendly for your parent or grandparent to move around easily.
Sundowning
Sundowning refers to a condition wherein seniors experience increased confusion and restlessness in the later hours of the day. This is more common in seniors with delirium or some other form of dementia. Such agitated behavior can be complicated and hard to manage. Besides, it can heavily affect your family routines as well. Moving to assisted living will ensure that your senior gets the right care services needed to manage the symptoms. The recreational activities in the community may even help to reduce the effects.