Senior Living Options Offer a Variety of Settings and Plans

You still remember that 2100 mile road trip with your father.
It started as a simple trip to go visit your oldest daughter in Louisiana. She was in her freshman year of college at a very small liberal arts school. She was loving her classes, her campus, and her gymnastics coach. She was anxious, however, to have her grandfather come visit. So you organized and planned a trip south. That simple visit, however, r into a visit to a college campus. It also evolved into an overnight stay with some relatives that your father had not seen in years. It also evolved into one stop after another at flea markets, estate sales, garage sales, pawn shops, and famous places to eat. Those unplanned tops, though, were likely the greatest part of the trip.
Your dad made purchases of both large and small things, but more than the purchases, he appreciated the chance to travel and stop when he wanted. Your dad enjoyed the chance to be a passenger, not the driver; the participant, not the planner.
When you finally arrived on campus, your dad enjoyed meeting your daughter’s friends. He enjoyed showing some of the gymnasts how to carve a pumpkins. He loved the opportunity to see his granddaughter in a place that she loves.
That trip, only three years ago, however, is a distant memory. Today, at the age of 87 years is now relying on senior care on-site activities to keep him busy. After a surprising heart attack just 14 months ago, your father is hoping that the senior care on-site activities at the senior living community where he has moved will provide him opportunities of interest and activities that are varied.
Have You Started Looking at Retirement Homes for Your Parents or Grandparents?
The number of assisted living options available today can be overwhelming. On closer examination, however, families can often make a confident decision once you realize what your top priorities are. Consider some of the following factors that many people consider when they are making decisions about the care options for the elderly people in their families:

• Senior care on-site activities. The transition from living in their own home to a retirement setting can be a struggle. Finding a location that will provide a variety of activities that help its residents to get out in the community and enjoy the surroundings, however, can make the transition much easier. For this reason, one of the first things that many families look at are the senior care on-site activities that are offered.
• Varied care options within the same facility. Another thing that families look at is whether or not the facility they select will allow their loved one to move from one type of care to another type of care without leaving the network. The best senior living options provide a setting that makes sense to families and caters to the need of the residents.
• Medical care and health services. Did you know that more than three-fourths of assisted living residents deal with at least 2 of the ten most common chronic conditions. And while high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s disease, and other dementias are the most prevalent, many other conditions also exist. For instance, nearly 40% of assisted living residents received assistance with three or more activities of daily living. Of those, bathing and dressing were the most common. One of the aspects that families look at, therefore, is the access to the necessary healthcare services. Although some smaller facilities may not provide all of the needed services, they do provide transportation to and from medical appointments.
• Happiness of the current residents. A recent survey of Money magazine readers indicates that 48% of retirees report being happier in retirement than they expected. Obviously, it is important to visit a center and see how the current residents are. Happy? Busy? A full schedule of activities can be a good sign, but if the current residents are not actively engages in those events, the calendar services little purpose. By visiting a location on several occasions during various times of the day, you get a real feel for the happiness of the current residents.