Assisted living can help you ensure that proper care is taken of your elderly loved one while you have the space and time to do all that needs to be done. That’s why it’s important for you to look for the right one that both you and the elderly loved one will be happy with. This may be something along the lines of all inclusive assisted living. While looking for a good facility, you may also want to find out things like how long does it take to get into assisted living.
Alternatively, you could search for someone who will be assisting you in your home. They should be able to provide the best at home senior living experience for the person who needs the care. Check the quality of any center that you hear about and try to talk to other people who have elderly ones in the facility you’re looking into. This can give you a clear picture of what to expect in terms of quality.
When you find a good facility, come up with a visitation schedule to ensure that you find time to see your elderly loved one. This will help them not feel as though they’ve been abandoned.
Are you looking for good a assisting living facility for your parent? Finding the right place for your mom or dad to call home when they need assisting living is a difficult and critical task. If the assisting living facility that they go to is not the right fit for them, it can be detrimental to their health. In order to make sure that you find an assisting living community that your parent can thrive in, we’ve put together a list of important factors to look for.
Four Important Factors for Finding the Best Assisted Living Homes
- Be very observant of the hygiene and cleanliness of the assisted living community.
Ask yourself if the assisted living centers you look at feel clean and fresh while you tour them. Look at small details, like the windows and the baseboards. If dust has collected in those areas, it’s a sign that it’s probably been a while since it has gotten a nice good cleaning.
Make sure to check on how often and how thoroughly the personal areas are cleaned. Your parent will likely need services like laundry provided for them; make sure to inquire about this, how often and at what cost they are offered.
Let your nose be the guide while paying attention to the cleanliness of the facility. If you smell an odor, it could be an isolated incident, or it could be a cleanliness issue. If you catch a whiff of an unpleasant smell in just one area, it might be an accident that occurred just there and the cleaning staff hasn’t been able to sanitize it. However, if you smell an odor throughout the facility, it might be a red flag that the cleanliness is not up to par.
- Participate in a facility event.
Having a strong community to be part of is a very important part of the quality of life that your parent will get at the assisted living facility. Make sure to observe such an event before deciding where your parent should call home. Pay attention to how many other residents attend and participate in the event. How does the staff interact with residents during these events? Are the theme of the community events interesting to your parent?
You should also consider what is important to your loved one and look for a facility that offers it. For example, if your loved one needs to be able to get out and about in order to feel satisfied, look for a community who provides day trips. Considering your parent’s interests and temperament and finding the facility that best supports it is the best way to help them stay engaged and healthy.
- Keep an eye on the attitude and friendliness of the staff.
The staff of the assisted living facility will spend considerable time with your loved one, their attitude sets the pace for the outlook of the residents. When you are conducting a tour of the assisted care facility, pay attention to the staff. Do they interact with the residents? Do they seem engaged in the care and enjoyment of the people who live their? Are they making eye contact with the people they are caring for and treating them with high regard, or are they acting more like it’s just a job?
Ask about the ratio of staff members to residents, to get an idea of how much support your loved one will even get. Talk to the management team, and read their attitude towards the residents; many times their attitude filters down to the employees who will actually be working with your loved one. It is important that you feel confident that your loved one will be treated with care and respect if they live there.
- Observe the outdoor areas.
Being able to enjoy sunlight and the great outdoors has a profound impact on the health and wellness of a person. While you are observing the facilities of the assisted living community that you are considering, pay attention to the outdoor living area as well. Will your loved one be able to go on walks or eat outdoors? Are there activities that are sponsored outdoors? These factors are a good indication of the type of lifestyle that your mother or father will get if they live in the facility.