When planning on moving to senior a living community, it is important for families to consider their options before an emergency move is necessary. We’ll explain how you can make this decision proactively.
You’re doing your best to provide care to your senior family member at home. Through careful planning and research, you make decisions to help them maintain their standard of living.
When changes happen related to their condition or because of outside events, do you have a plan in place for how best to continue their care? For many, the current unknowns and challenges surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have raised important questions about how to keep senior loved ones safe and healthy.
Maybe your family has considered a transition to a memory care community as a part of a long-term plan. With today’s uncertainties, however, it may make sense to make that transition sooner.
Make the move before winter to lower seasonal risks
This winter, concerns grow related to the flu season. More time spent indoors during cooler months can propagate illness.
With the coronavirus spreading, seniors need to maintain their health and strength as much as possible. Catching the seasonal flu can cause enough complications on its own. It also creates the risk of compromising someone’s immune system and putting them at an even higher risk of contracting the coronavirus.
To avoid exposure to these viruses, a senior living community has great protections and precautions in place to maintain cleanliness. They also provide services, activities, and attention that are customized to each resident. This level of care helps residents keep up their strength and health, helping to prevent illness.
If something unexpected happens and a resident’s care needs quickly change, a community is set up to fluidly accommodate these needs, helping to avoid a situation escalating to an emergency. This level of professional care provides a more controlled and structured environment than caring for a loved one at home.
Beyond the flu season, the winter presents challenges including rainy weather and cooler temperatures. Traveling to appointments and other necessary trips puts seniors at risk of slips or falls, as well as discomfort from the cold. This weather also makes it more difficult to spend time outdoors. For these reasons, the season changing will limit your options for keeping your loved one safe, or enriching their day-to-day schedule.
Senior living communities offer a wide range of on-site services, from medical care, specialized memory care, and safe activities that help your loved one feel connected.
Being prepared allows for a quicker response to changes
Change is a natural part of aging. Although your loved one’s condition can change in unexpected ways, these changes don’t have to become an emergency. Being prepared for changes means you have options and plans for how to best care for your loved one should an injury, accident, or illness occur.
Moving to a senior living community may be one of your first steps in this plan for providing the best care possible, as a community can provide more for individual needs than is possible in a home environment.
Taking this precaution early on can help to avoid falls or accidents. If your loved one is injured in a fall or other accident at home, you may need to take them to the hospital or doctor unexpectedly, leading to a potential hospital stay made more difficult by the risks of the coronavirus. By preventing these incidents altogether through tailored and professional service, you can help your loved one maintain their strength and health.
A planned transition to senior living helps you avoid making quick decisions under urgent circumstances. By evaluating your loved ones needs for the advanced care provided by a senior living community earlier, you can prevent emergency situations and decisions from arising.
Make a Smooth Transition to Kensington Place
The transition to senior living and memory care is a significant step to take, not only for your loved one but also for your entire family.
Instead of being pushed into a move by an unexpected change of circumstances, proactively planning the transition can give you and your loved one control over their quality of life.
At Kensington Place, every resident experiences exceptional care, love, and companionship through an active and enriching community. The community was built to look and feel like home, designed to be as accessible as possible to encourage independence and confidence among residents.
Our professionals ensure our quality of care in every dimension of the Kensington Place lifestyle, making every resident feel important.
Call us today to learn more about preventing emergency situations by making a smooth plan for your loved one to move to a senior living community.