Common Mistakes People Make When Searching For Senior Living
If you are beginning your search for a senior living or independent living community, hats off to you for starting your research! Making the decision to look for a senior living facility can seem like a daunting one. Whether you are the one looking for your new home or you are the adult child of a senior citizen that wants to make the most informed choice for your mom or dad – it’s a big deal!
Now, you can easily plan ahead of time and consider how and where to seek the best senior care for your elderly loved ones. However, you don’t always have the luxury of time. This often leads to hasty decisions and costly mistakes. To help you avoid these basic errors, Turning Point Senior Care Solutions has compiled a list of the most common mistakes people make when searching for senior living.
1. Not understanding the nuances of assisted living
Assisted living is a model of senior care, and each community has its own threshold of care. Some offer minimal assistance, while others offer a ton of care, allowing the resident to “age in place.” As you are touring the community, asking pointed questions is vital to finding the right facility for your loved ones. Ask questions like “at what point will the community require additional care for a resident? Or, how do they care for residents with different needs?”
2. Being “wowed” by chandeliers and flower arrangements
Appearances can be deceiving, and though clean and pleasant communities are essential, the key is the socialization and care being provided by the staff. Ask about the various activities offered, look at a calendar of events, and ask about the certified nurse assistants. What is the ratio of care to residents? Does the community increase assistants as the needs arise in the community?
3. Waiting to make the decision to move into an assisted living community
The most common comment from seniors who finally choose to move is, “I wish I had moved in sooner.” There is a “dark cloud” around the notion to leave your long-time home even when maintaining and enjoying the home becomes an albatross around the neck of you and your family. Choosing to move before someone else must make the decision is in the senior’s favor, especially when care is minimal so that events, activities, and social life are fully enjoyed rather than care being the only focus.
To avoid more mistakes like these, reach out to Turning Point Senior Care Solutions. I specialize in issues surrounding senior care: services, programs, living options, care management, and advocacy in the Greater South Bend region. The focus is on education so that quality and dignity of life may be sustained. If you understand the options, you can figure out what to do. I offer services like community choice, pathfinders, and pathfinders care manager to clients across South Bend, Elkhart, Goshen, Mishawaka, La Porte, Michigan City, Indiana, Niles, And Edwardsburg, Michigan. For a complete list of my services, please click here. If you have any questions about assisted senior living, I’d love to hear from you. Please contact me here.