Can a Senior Living Community Meet your Needs?
Few seniors would argue that the ideal aging situation would be to age in place with as much independence and autonomy as possible. Most seniors would say that the best way to make this dream a happy reality is to stay in their homes for as long as possible. They worry that a “retirement home” or “senior living community” is the death of this dream.
What many seniors—and their families—don’t realize is just how far most senior living communities have come in the past few decades. In reality, a quality senior living community is far more likely to allow seniors to achieve the dream of happily aging in place as independently as possible, than remaining in their homes will.
Why is this? There are many reasons, but the most significant reasons that a senior living community will more successfully provide a happy, stable, age-in-place situation for seniors are as follows.
1. Independence is not diminished in a Senior Living Community. Instead, it’s enhanced!
The thing that many seniors don’t factor into their decision to age in place in their homes is how limited their ability to leave the house can quickly become.
For example, many seniors find themselves reluctant or even unable to drive as they get older, especially at night. Time with family and friends can quickly become entirely dependent on who can and will visit. Moreover, former pastimes like cooking, shopping trips, and visits to restaurants, beauty parlors, or museum tours rely solely on finding transportation. Even children who want to help often can’t because of their jobs and family schedules.
Even seniors who are still able to drive frequently find themselves housebound due to home maintenance projects, or may worry about injuries that can easily happen if they leave.
Quality senior living communities provide solutions to all of these problems! Not only do these communities provide on-site entertainment like high-quality dining rooms, beauty parlors, and outdoor walking paths, they also provide transportation and regular off-site adventures with highly qualified staff to assist if any medical situation arises.
Instead of wrestling through the logistics of how to leave home, all that the residents in senior living communities have to decide is where they want to go!
2. The Social Life is Hopping!
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to most people that seniors have an increasingly difficult time connecting with friends and building a new community. Not only is transportation difficult, as mentioned above, but there are very few places where it’s easy and safe for seniors to come together, meet other seniors, connect, and enjoy time together.
This is a serious problem, and not one to treat lightly. Research has shown that loneliness and social isolation were more likely to lead to depression and a 26-32% increased likelihood of early mortality.
It is simply not healthy for most seniors to live alone or find themselves regularly lonely. Often, seniors find that aging in place in their homes is not a very happy season.
That’s why most seniors find the community they discover at senior living communities a surprising blessing. Not only do they find people with whom they have a lot in common, but it’s easy to regularly see these people to build strong relationships.
Even better, because senior living communities frequently have fun events, outings, and great dining areas—not to mention the comfortable gathering areas, game rooms, libraries, and beautiful walkways—it’s easy to spend quality time enjoying life alongside people that are easy to enjoy.
Most residents report an increase in overall enjoyment and satisfaction with life (and lots more laughter thanks to fun and new friends!) after moving into a senior living community.
The best part? (At least for the introverts!) When the activities start to feel like they’re too much, it’s so easy to return home to rest, enjoy some quiet alone time, and then go out again whenever the senior is ready. The level of community and fun the senior wants to have is entirely up to him or her—and not even a little dependent on others.
3. The Residents—and Their Families—Are Not Just Surviving, but Thriving!
The unfortunate truth is that as seniors age, they need additional medical attention and help. Often, staying on top of doctor’s visits, medications, and prescribed physical routines to keep the body healthy—not to mention the time it takes to drive to all of the appointments or wait in line for the prescriptions—can easily feel like a full-time job.
Most seniors need someone to help with this, which can be financially costly if they have to hire help, and relationally costly if they have to rely on children.The care needed can even damage parent-child relationships as the child begins to feel increasingly like the parent.
But when a senior moves to a senior living community, they find that these stressors instantly disappear as the community’s highly trained medical staff quickly and effectively take over. This alleviates the stress, not only for the senior, but also for their children, who desperately want to care well for their parents. They often find themselves overwhelmed at how to do so well in the midst of an already busy life.
Many residents and their children discover that their relationships—free from the burden of care and confident that the senior will receive the personal care they need whenever they need it—are able to thrive in the peaceful, welcoming environment of senior living communities.
Happy and Successful Transitions
It can feel scary or overwhelming to take that first step towards moving to a senior living community, but according to a survey done by the Assisted Living Federation of America, an incredible 94% of assisted living residents say they are satisfied with their overall quality of life. How many seniors can say that in the homes in which they are currently living?
However, the most successful transitions come when the decision is made before a crisis forces the move. Start the conversation today by scheduling a complimentary tour. We’d love to show you how the seniors at Morningside are not only enjoying independent living but—along with their families—are thriving. We can’t wait to meet you.