Finding Safety and Security in a Senior Living Community
Growing older can potentially present a variety of challenges, including how to stay safe without sacrificing your independence. This can become more and more difficult with time, but there is an easy solution: move to a senior living community! Whether moving to Independent Living, Assisted Living, or to Memory Care, older adults in senior living communities can rest assured their safety and security is a top priority. Here’s why!
You Can Relax! We’re Handling the Details: Living on your own or not having friends or family as close as you would like nearby can mean spending a lot of time alone, especially during times of extended bad weather or crises like the current pandemic. In a senior living community however, residents have help and support available 24/7/365.
For those in Independent Living, this may include help with housekeeping or laundry, while in Assisted Living, support could include daily assistance with personal hygiene, taking medications, or getting to and from the dining room. And in Memory Care, support includes daily assistance with patient and compassionate care that allows residents to live life to the fullest without concern for their safety and security.
Move Around Without Worry: The typical home is not normally designed specifically with older adults in mind, but senior living communities are. From accessibility to lighting, and even the elimination of fall hazards, senior living communities go the extra mile to provide living spaces that are clean, comfortable, and safe. Even thinking through additional features, such as bathroom grab bars and wider doorways, can make a big difference to the safety and security of older adults.
Staying Connected: Staying connected to family and friends is essential to the health and well-being of older adults. In senior living communities, connectivity includes not only having friends and caregivers close by physically, but also the technology to reach out to those who are farther away. As the COVID-19 lockdown proved, the Internet is an invaluable tool for older adults who were unable to visit in person, but who gained peace of mind from team members who were able to help them make those precious connections with loved ones.
Also notable is the ability of older adults to connect with health care providers via the Internet, as well as to explore the world online. Older adults can join in on exercise groups, play games, visit far away places, even take classes online, all of which help them enjoy an even higher quality of life.
Good Food That’s Good for You: One of the greatest threats to older adults is poor nutrition. For some, just the chore of cooking can become difficult or even unsafe, which can lead to a lack of interest in food or eating foods that are handy but do not provide the necessary nutrients.
In senior living communities, nutrition is top-of-mind and menus are designed to be not only healthy for older adults, but also tasty and diverse. They can enjoy meal time with friends and family (and in a safe way during the pandemic), and special dietary needs can be met when needed, such as for diabetics and those on low-fat diets. Learn more about the nutritional needs of older adults in the medlineplus.gov article, “Nutrition for Older Adults.”
Getting Around Town: For those that can no longer drive well due to physical or mental limitations, sometimes getting around to shop, see the doctor or dentist, or visit friends can become increasingly unsafe. In particular, when an older adult gives up driving, they also can become dependent on friends and family to drive for them, often causing them to feel guilty or even ignore important appointments rather than potentially burden someone. In senior living communities, transportation is one of many benefits and can include trips like appointments, grocery shopping, and adventures to local venues like art shows, museums, and festivals. Find out more about older adults and driving in the everydayhealth.com blog, “6 Signs It’s Time to Stop Driving.”
Safety First!: Reputable senior living communities have always put safety and security first, but even more so than during the COVID-19 health crises. The result is an even higher bar for preparedness and prevention and one that is now honed to perfection in the form of safety protocols. Although the pandemic was a baptism by fire for everyone, Thrive communities acted quickly and effectively to protect residents and follow all state, federal, and local guidance.
Today, that action translates to proactive safety protocols that can be implemented immediately with the knowledge that they are tried and tested in the darkest days of the pandemic. In addition, senior living communities also have disaster plans for events like fires, floods, and other natural disasters, so residents can be safely cared for when needed. More about senior living safety is explained in the whereyoulivematters.com blog, “How Senior Living Communities Prepare for Emergencies.”
At Thrive Senior Living, making sure that every resident is abundantly healthy, happy, and safe is our priority every single day. To learn more about the safety and security we provide, contact us today.
