Traditionally, many seniors and their families have seen assisted living as a way to downsize and have a peaceful place to live, more recently others have taken retirement as an opportunity to live a higher end, luxury lifestyle with upgraded services and amenities.
Why the change? One reason is a reflection upon the nation’s demographics. As baby boomers begin to retire, 4 million for the next 20 years to be exact, trends show that luxury living is a top priority. [Read more…]
As much as we want to be, we can’t always be with our loved one in an assisted living home or long-term care facility. Busy lives, distance, and other factors often prevent families from being able to spend time together, which is why it’s important to have ways to stay in touch and check in with one another. Here are some simple ways to show that you are thinking about your loved one:
Family Meetings – If you’re lucky to live close enough to your loved one, a weekly family meeting is a great way to check in and spend time together. Many care facilities have areas for activities like board games, recreational areas where you can play shuffleboard, or even outdoor swimming pools. A fun family gathering can brighten anyone’s day. [Read more…]
As a senior citizen or family member of a loved one, planning for inclement weather such as a flood is important. The elderly are more likely to live alone, have physical immobility, or have special needs, which makes them more vulnerable than younger people when there is a flood. Therefore establishing an emergency plan ahead of time will allow your loved one to know exactly what to do if disaster strikes. Here are some tips on how to prepare for a flood:
Living in an assisted living community, seniors often find themselves with ample downtime and oftentimes, there is not much to do. Keeping seniors active has known to decrease depression, loneliness, and promote exercise and socialization. Therefore, in recent years, activity directors at assisted living communities have begun looking for new and innovative ways to keep seniors busy and active.
Here are some ways that assisted living communities are going beyond just bingo in order to keep residents entertained in their daily lives:
Sundowner Syndrome, also known as “late-day confusion,” is a symptom of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. As the name presumes, those with Sundowner Syndrome experience symptoms in the late afternoon and evening, as opposed to earlier in the day.
Signs of Sundowning include behaviors such as confusion, aggression, anxiety, pacing, and wandering. While the specific cause is unknown, factors that trigger Sundowner Syndrome include low lighting, fatigue, increased shadows, infections, and difficulty separating dreams from reality. [Read more…]