How to Know If Assisted Living is Right for You

Contrary to popular belief, people don’t need to have a physical or mental condition to consider life in an assisted living community. We all age differently, but time eventually catches up with everyone. The idea behind any decent assisted living community is to provide their members with a healthy, safe, and fulfilling lifestyle. Stay with us as we explain more in the following paragraphs. These will also help you decide whether assisted living would be right for you at this point in your life.

Loneliness

Loneliness among seniors was already a problem when the pandemic started. As the SARS-COV-2 virus is particularly dangerous for the elderly. Their social isolation managed to develop into a massive problem. Mental health declined and suicide rates increased across all generations. So the people who were already lonely at home suffered the most during quarantines.

Have your spouse has passed away and your children live too far away to pay regular visits? Loneliness would be an unavoidable side-effect of these unfavorable conditions. On top of that, the pandemic has added an extra degree of isolation to the whole problem. One of the hallmarks of a properly planned and happy senior living community is the socialization aspect that they offer. So consider it as a solution to the problem.

Depression

Depression and loneliness duel each other in a vicious cycle of mental health issues. If you have reason to be lonely, then that loneliness will eventually lead to depression. You have to act against the loneliness. Depression is not only caused by loneliness of course, which makes it a much more complicated issue to deal with. Senior care facilities have psychiatric counsellors within the faculty itself, who are specialized in understanding and treating depressed elders in the best way possible.

In addition to counselling, the location plays a very important role while trying to keep depression at bay. Clinical studies show that we tend to become increasingly depressed over time, when living in enclosed spaces for long periods at a stretch. If you decide to try an assisted living community, be sure to choose a location with beautiful views and landscaping. It can do wonders for your mood, while the fresh air may even reduce your chances of developing Alzheimer’s.

Accidents

Loss of balance and coordination is almost unavoidable to at least some degree as we age. For some, it can become a serious problem as well, which is why so many elders get injured at home by slipping, or simply after losing their balance. To make things worse, seniors also have a fraction of the bone density that they had in their youth. A simple slip and fall inside the shower can lead to hip and back fractures.

While such falls themselves are quite dangerous, the real danger comes from the fact that their fractures could leave the injured person unable to move or call for help. For those who live on their own, this is a terrible but common danger to consider. The Belmont Village Senior Community for Assisted living in Albany CA understands this fact quite well, which is why they check up on all their members regularly. In fact, all living quarters are designed to prevent falling and bone breaking incidents to begin with.

Confusion

Do you often find yourself in a confused state? This confusion can result from being unable to answer questions such as:

• Where am I?
• What am I doing here?
• How did I get here?
• Where was I before?
• How do I get back home?
• Why can’t I remember where I live?
• How do I know this person who is talking to me?
• Why can’t I recognize this person?
• Did I eat dinner yet?
• Did I take my meds?
• Where did I keep my car keys/house keys?

If you can relate to questions like the ones above, then it could be a sign of dementia. Consult your family/close friends and visit a doctor to get it checked. Whether the confusion turns out to be a result of natural aging or dementia, assistance will be necessary for you to live a safe, healthy and happy life.

Anger and Frustration

Neurodegeneration caused by age and lifestyle reacted diseases can lead to more aggressive behavior, alongside confusion, frustration, and depression. However, you do not need to have a condition to feel angrier and more frustrated. Loneliness can do that to people, irrespective of their age, and it is perfectly possible for you to have a fully functional find and still experience those emotions at a heightened level. The only difference is that if you do move to a community of people who have been through similar situations themselves, those negative emotions will most likely come down significantly, if not completely. The aforementioned counsellors found in assisted living communities should also be able to help you in getting rid of negative emotions.

Physical Inability

To live in a big house alone is a lonely prospect for anybody, but especially so for seniors. Along with the loneliness comes the growing inability to maintain one’s home on account of their growing physical woes. Even a mansion can look derelict if it is not cared for properly, and most often, older generations lose the mental and physical energy to maintain their own home’s cleanliness. If they receive an injury, or lose some of their mobility after a serious accident/stroke, that could become an even bigger problem during the recovery period.

The bottom line is that if you choose the right place, shifting to an assisted living community can be a life changing experience for seniors. Being able to socialize on a regular basis, make new friends, and partake in enjoyable group activities are not things that most elders can enjoy after a certain age. Old friends, family members, and relatives may pass away, while the children grow up, move on, and start their own lives. Considering all that, moving to a senior living community can potentially mean the beginning of a completely new life for seniors who need it the most.