If your loved one is thinking about moving to a senior living community, the options may seem overwhelming. One popular senior care option is assisted living communities, which provide assistance with personal care tasks as well as a variety of leisure options and levels of care. These communities combine senior care benefits with the social aspects of an active senior living community.

A team of qualified caregivers and attentive staff collaborate in assisted living to develop and implement a care plan for each resident. These communities provide a variety of assisted living services, such as personal care, nutritious meals, and enjoyable activities. Many families are relieved to learn that their loved one is eligible for assisted living.

Services and amenities at assisted living communities can help seniors live their best lives, from assisting with daily routines to providing a wide range of social opportunities to combat loneliness.

Trained caregivers

An assisted living community’s staff is critical in making residents feel safe, supported, happy, and, ultimately, more independent. Nurses and caregivers typically receive ongoing elder-care training, with a focus on assisting seniors with daily living activities (ADLs). Assisted living staff empower seniors to be as self-sufficient as possible through these services.

Caregivers may assist your senior loved one with the following, depending on their specific needs:

Showering and bathing
Mobility Dressing and grooming
Medication administration

Before moving in, many communities conduct a care level assessment. If you’re not sure how much help you or a senior relative need, or whether a community can meet those needs, you can discuss your concerns during your initial assessment.

Dining choices

Seniors in assisted living avoid the hassles of grocery shopping, cooking, and nutrition monitoring by simply visiting the community’s dining areas. Dining areas provide seniors with delicious, nutrient-rich dishes as well as a social boost at mealtimes.

Many senior living communities hire culinary experts, such as a chef and a registered dietitian, to provide restaurant-quality dining with an emphasis on nutrition and taste. Menu items such as Greek salad, crab cakes, green beans amandine, and herb-roasted chicken are popular at Sunrise Senior Living, a company with hundreds of communities.

Meal programs in assisted living communities usually provide the following advantages:

Every day, three professionally prepared meals are served.
Various entrée, side dish, and dessert options
Every food group’s nutrients
Fresh fruit, healthy snacks, and beverages are available at all times.
Weekly menus are published in advance.
The ability to invite family and guests
Options for special meal plans, such as diabetic, low-sodium, high-fiber, and so on.

Housekeeping, laundry, and maintenance

Less housework equals less stress, and almost all assisted living communities include housekeeping as part of the monthly rent. These cleaning services allow seniors to devote more time to their happiness, health, and well-being:

Vacuuming and dusting
Bed-making
Cleaning of bathrooms and kitchens
Maintenance and beautification of the laundry apartment

Security features

Is your senior loved one having difficulty managing home safety? One of the most important aspects of assisted living is 24-hour on-site staffing and enhanced safety for senior residents. This means that staff can respond to urgent needs or emergencies at any time of day or night.

Modern security systems and the following safety and accessibility features should be expected in assisted living communities:

Exits that are clearly marked and alarming
Ramps for wheelchairs
Grab bars and handrails
large doorways
Lifts for the stairs
Elevators
Showers with a zero-threshold
Emergency notification systems

Enriching activities

One of the most common problems that older adults face is loneliness as a result of senior isolation. A varied and stimulating social calendar can compensate for this by providing activities to suit a wide range of interests. Communities frequently plan outings to local museums, concerts, parks, and other attractions in addition to on-site social events. While social opportunities may not be your first priority when selecting a community, they are a significant benefit of assisted living.

Activities in assisted living communities are centered on three fundamental needs of aging adults:

Physical well-being. Walks, tai chi, strength exercises, dances, fitness classes, and yoga are all popular physical health activities. Some communities even provide nutritional counseling.
Stimulation of the mind. Current events and interest clubs, as well as art, are examples of common intellectual activities.

Staying physically, intellectually, and socially involved, according to research published in the journal Dementia and Neuropsychologia, provides seniors with a significant defense against cognitive decline.

One goal of assisted living communities is to provide social opportunities for all residents. Care providers discuss individual passions and interests with incoming residents and their families, often developing programming specifically for them. These initial conversations also assist staff in determining which activities to encourage a new resident to participate in.

On-site amenities

A soothing change of scenery is never far away in assisted living, where multiple rooms and creative spaces pamper, leisure, and relax residents. When you see dedicated spaces for a variety of activities, it’s a good indication that a community has robust programming that your loved one will enjoy.

Depending on the community, amenities may include a variety of on-site options, such as:

Barbershop and beauty salon
Theatrical screenings
Library for video games
Courtyard and communal garden
Bar
Sunrooms, porches, and patios
Exercise facility
Workshop for woodworking
Studio of art
Chapel Billiard room
Ample event space

Learn more about assisted living benefits

Contact A Place for Mom’s Senior Living Advisors if you want to learn more about life in an assisted living community. These professionals can answer any questions you have about the differences between assisted living, nursing homes, and memory care, as well as help you find the best option for you and your family.

Sources

Dementia and Neuropsychologia. “Cognitive performance and engagement in physical, social and intellectual activities in older adults: The FIBRA study.”