When the time comes for you to explore assisted living options for your loved one, the overall process can be quite overwhelming. Not only are you likely going to be dealing with difficult emotions from your aging parent, grandparent, or other loved one, but you must do your best to search through a variety of facility options to find the right one. With so many options regarding levels of care, location, and overall quality of a facility, you might find yourself a bit overwhelmed with the task.
First and foremost, you must sit down with your loved one and discuss their options with them. You should try to understand what they are looking for in their new home in addition to what they will need in terms of medical care. Ultimately, your goal should be to make them feel like they are a part of the decision-making process so that they don’t feel as though they are being forced into an undesirable situation.
Once you have been able to talk properly with your loved one, you will need to find options that you can consider together. To help you with your search, here are five qualities that you should be looking for that would indicate that a facility is above the average.
1. Specific Medical Care Offered
The first thing that you need to take into account as you search for the right assisted living facility for your loved one is the type of medical assistance they will need on a day to day basis. Above-average facilities will offer specified medical care for certain conditions. For instance, if your loved one suffers from a memory loss condition, you should look for a facility that offers Alzheimer care San Jose CA.
Even if your loved one hasn’t been diagnosed with such a condition, it is a good idea to choose a facility that offers specific care for conditions that might be probable or developing for your loved one. If the facility you choose already has such programs and care in place, then you won’t have to move your loved one, should they receive a diagnosis in the future.
2. Varying Degrees of Medical Care
Unfortunately, as a person ages, it is more than likely that their medical needs will increase rather than decrease. For this reason, when you look into assisted living facilities, you should look for ones that offer different degrees of medical care.
This is because as your loved one ages and their medical need increase, you don’t want to be in a situation where you must move them once again to accommodate their changing needs. Such a scenario can be even more difficult for your loved one, particularly if they have grown to feel at home and secure in the facility you had originally chosen.
What you want to look for is a facility that accepts residents of varying stages of health. They offer care packages of sorts that range from the minimal to the more intensive as things might progress. With flexibility in the options you have for your loved one’s care, you can ensure that they will be able to stay in their new home for as long as possible while receiving the care they need as time goes on.
3. Prime Location
Just because your loved one is moving to an assisted living facility, that doesn’t mean they will be looking to shut themselves off from the world. For this reason, you should look for a facility that is located in an ideal place. While some facilities might be set apart from the major amenities of a town or city, above-average ones will be situated in such a way that grants more, not less access to such things.
This is particularly important if your loved one is still fairly to moderately active and enjoys getting out and about. Losing the ability to go out and do things can have devastating effects on seniors. If their new home is located properly, though, they can easily access shops, walks, and other amenities so that they can stay active and happy in their new home.
4. Clean and Tasteful Décor
When your loved one is facing the impending move to an assisted living facility, one of the things that will no doubt cause them distress is the fact that they will no longer have total control over their own home. One way in which this fact can be reflected back to them regularly involves the décor of the facility you go with.
If the facility you choose has a décor that isn’t clean and tasteful, then your loved one will find themselves confronted with the fact that they can do nothing about it every day. If, on the other hand, you can find an above-average facility that was designed tastefully and that aligns with the design preferences of your loved one, they can be made to feel more at home sooner rather than later. This can help to ease this difficult transition.
5. Good Food
It might sound like it should be a given, but not all assisted living facilities offer the food of the same quality. Your loved one won’t be able to adjust well to their new home if they are confronted with poorly made meals throughout their day. An above-average facility, though, will have expert chefs on staff who craft and serve excellent meals for the residents.
You should also note the types of meals that are available depending on any health conditions that your loved one might have. For instance, if they have suffered a cardiac event at some point, you will want to choose a facility that offers a heart-healthy meal plan for them. It is important, though, that such a meal plan is filled with food that is just as tasty as it is good for your loved one. The food that is served at a facility plays an important role in the quality of life that is enjoyed by its residents.
