What Kinds of Features Should Your Senior Be Considering in an Assisted Living Facility?
If you’ve never examined assisted living facilities before, the very thought can be intimidating. There are so many different amenities, features, and details to consider. Working with an expert in senior housing can make this job a lot easier for your entire family.
The Social Environment and Options
One big reason for your elderly family member to consider assisted living is that there’s a much better opportunity for her to be social and to interact with other people. Living on her own may leave her feeling as if her options for socializing are limited, especially if transportation is an issue. In an assisted living facility, she’s got other people right there with her and planned activities that can help her to explore a variety of different interests.
Meal Options and Choices
Something else that often becomes difficult for older adults is dealing with cooking, grocery shopping, and everything that goes with that entire topic. Very often assisted living facilities offer the option for your elderly family member to enjoy meals in her own apartment, but if that’s something she’s not interested in, meals in a dining room are another option. This can be the perfect solution for your elderly family member, even if she has specific dietary restrictions.
Proximity to Friends and Family
Your senior may have lived in her neighborhood for a long time. She may not be interested in going somewhere to live that’s far away from friends, from family members, and from the places she likes to visit on a regular basis. Location, as it always is when it comes to real estate, is always incredibly important.
Low Staff to Resident Ratios
Another factor that’s very important, especially if your elderly family member needs a good bit of extra assistance, is the resident to staff ratio. If the facility is understaffed for the number of residents it contains, then your elderly family member may find that she has more of a wait for assistance than she bargained for. Investigating small details like this helps to ensure your senior is able to get the care that she needs.
Getting help narrowing down all the choices when it comes to finding the right assisted living facility is important. Senior housing consultants can look at the criteria that are most important to you and your senior, offer up the best possible solutions, and help you to get your senior settled.