Starting the New Year Off on the Right Assisted Living Foot
It’s the end of the year. That means people are making New Year’s Resolutions, planning on starting the year off on the right foot, taking positive changes in their life, and thinking about the future. For some older seniors, thinking about the future means determining the right type of elder care. There are numerous senior care options out there, but few that can match the benefits that a quality assisted living facility can offer. However, too many people have misconceptions about what assisted living is, what it can offer, and the vast benefits it may provide.
In order to start the new year off right, information is key.
A lot of people make glaring mistakes when sitting down to resolve changes in their life. They make monumental goals, reach for the sky and hope they get halfway there (that kind of thinking) plans. Yet, they never sit down to figure out how to achieve those goals. They fly by the seat of their pants, figure they will learn as they do it, and that is one of the reasons why the vast majority of New Year’s resolutions fall by the wayside within a couple of weeks, if not days.
In order to make any life-changing decisions stick, it is vital that you have accurate and up-to-date information. For example, if you or an elderly parent, grandparent, or other loved one who is considering assisted living at this stage in their life, and they have absolutely no experience or information about it, what is that going to look like?
If they have a certain idea about a facility being a luxury spa at their dream vacation destination, they will, most likely, be immensely disappointed in the one they choose, especially if it is local. That doesn’t mean they might not get lucky, but their expectations are unreasonable simply because they have never been exposed to it, so when they do move in or visit (on a tour) to see if this is the right option for them, they will immediately have the wrong mindset.
The best thing to do is find out what the senior thinks about assisted living right now. That will give you the groundwork upon which to build when planning for a move early in the next year.
Talk about activities, points of interest, and maybe even friends.
Your elderly mother, for example, might have a few friends who have already chosen assisted living. Find out where they are and encourage your mother to visit more often. Ask your mother questions about what type of activities she would enjoy doing daily, if there are forms of art, music, or other interests she might like to pursue.
Then find out what each assisted living facility in the area has to offer. Flying by the seat of your pants, especially when it comes to assisted living, is not the best option. The best choice, when you want to make a good decision about a major change in life is to have the right information at hand.