How to know if continuing to live at home is the right choice for your loved one?

Is your loved one beginning to struggle living at home? No longer being able to prepare healthy meals, manage financial affairs or keep up with basic household chores can all be clues.

While families may hesitate or feel uncertain of the next steps to take, it’s unlikely that the situation will improve on its own. Unfortunately, health and safety may be at risk. If only a minimal amount of support is required, family, friends or a home care agency may be able to fill the gap. However, if the level of care needed exceeds what can reasonably be provided at home – or if quality of life begins to decline – it might be time to consider how an assisted living community could help.

The Right Time for Making the Best Decision

A key element in providing your loved one with the help needed is to avoid waiting until there is a crisis. Those who become injured, ill, or unable to return home from a hospital will often feel uprooted and struggle to transition to their new home.

It’s best to have senior living conversations, early and often, and keep your eyes open for signs that assistance may be needed. Being attentive can help avoid a rushed decision while providing opportunities to discuss and answer questions, visit communities and prepare for the move.

5 Signs it Might be Time for Assisted Living

Ask yourself if you’re beginning to see any of the following indications concerning your loved one’s situation at home.

1. A struggle with daily tasks

Is your loved one able to accomplish basic daily tasks such as bathing safely and dressing? Has it become more difficult to get in and out of bed, maintain grooming or keep clothes clean and in good repair?

You may also find your loved one struggling to manage the household or finances. Is there a stack of unopened mail or bills marked past-due? Neglecting maintenance and simple repairs or relying more on family and friends can all be signs that help is needed.

An assisted living community provides a maintenance-free lifestyle and a compassionate team to lend a helping hand so your loved one is supported to live independently.

2. Healthy dining has become a challenge

Living well requires good nutrition but planning, shopping and preparing meals can become more of a challenge for an older loved one. Unfortunately, the solution may be to skip meals or substitute snacks and processed food.

Look for signs of weight loss or gain and ask if shopping or cooking has become a harder task. When visiting the home, check if the cabinets are filled and if there is expired food in the refrigerator.

An assisted living community provides a delicious and nutritious dining program that can meet any dietary restrictions. Your loved one will have a wide variety of menu choices as well as benefit from the social interaction at mealtimes.

3. Diminished housekeeping and home maintenance

Managing a household can be exhausting and overwhelming. Even if hiring someone to perform the needed work, someone must still oversee or manage the projects.

Look for signs of an unkept lawn or landscaping, peeling paint, or overdue repairs. Are basic housecleaning tasks being completed or are there piles of dishes and clothes? Is the home becoming cluttered, creating tripping hazards and are appliances and mechanical systems in working order? An assisted living community provides an age-friendly residence that can be personalized to make it home. Residents enjoy leaving the upkeep to others and the new-found time that is now available to spend as they wish.

4. Escalated boredom and inactivity

Are your loved ones beginning to find it more difficult to fill the long hours of a day? While they once might have been engaged and participated in much loved activities, do they now talk little about enjoying outings with friends or taking part in a favorite hobby?

A chronic illness, trouble discovering appropriate activities or difficulty in arranging for transportation can leave many older adults at home. Unfortunately, when there is little involvement or connection, your loved one’s physical and cognitive health can suffer.

An assisted living community provides a monthly calendar of activities and social events so your loved one will easily find choices of interest. This is also a great way to meet the other residents.

5. Increased loneliness and social isolation

Older adults who are feeling increased loneliness or isolated can be at higher risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, a weakened immune system, anxiety and cognitive decline, according to the National Council on Aging.

Your loved one may have experienced the loss of a spouse or close family member. Friends might have moved away. In addition to these difficulties, it can also become more of a challenge to meet people and create new relationships.

An assisted living community is designed to make it easy to discover how much the residents have in common with each other – and delight in the camaraderie of new friendships.

Assisted Living at Presbyterian Village North

At Presbyterian Village North, we are here whenever a helping hand is needed. Offering spacious studio, one- and two-bedroom residences, our residents personalize their choice to create the homes where they will live their highest quality of life.

Imagine a new life that includes a well-stocked library, a private dining room available for family celebrations and endless opportunities to make new friends and memories – all with the reassurance of living in a gated community with around-the-clock security.

We also provide the following services:

Licensed nursing staff on site 24/7
Medication administration
Assistance with activities of daily living
Chef-prepared cuisine
Special activities and social programs
Access to a full continuum of care
Expanded gym and aquatic center
Physical, occupational and speech therapy
On-campus therapy pool
On-campus massage therapist