As the years go by and your parents grow older, they’ll undoubtedly have more needs on their plates. And though you may try your best to provide for them, you still fall short sometimes. After all, you have your responsibilities to take care of, so you might unknowingly neglect your parents’ needs.
If this is your case, then you might want to consider an “assisted living” service for your parents.
What is Assisted Living?
Simply put, assisted living is a choice for older adults who require assistance with essential daily activities, such as cooking meals, going to the bathroom, and cleaning the house.
This service is generally in a residential facility, like a converted home or an apartment complex, and the facility provides 24-hour support and access to care. That said, assisted living facilities still encourage privacy and independence, and they will create a personalized plan for you that accommodates all your needs, both basic and special.
As of right now, the National Center for Assisted Living reports that there are about 28,900 assisted living facilities with nearly 1 million licensed beds in the United States.
How Should You Pick the Assisted Living Facility that Suits Your Parents’ Needs?
Since an assisted living facility is your parents’ possible home in the future, you need to make sure that the facility you choose is outstanding. The last thing you want is to make your parents live in a facility that doesn’t treat them well.
But how do you know that a facility is great for your parents? You should examine the four factors below.
How Skilled and Trained the Staff is
An assisted living facility aims to help older people who can’t live by themselves anymore, so the staff has to be skilled and trained in caregiving.
As such, when you visit facilities, you should inquire about the education and training of their employees. The staff could be trained at an actual nursing school, or they could have gotten their education with Lecturio. Whatever’s the case, just make sure that the employees know what they’re doing.
The Staff-to-Patient Ratio
On a somewhat related note to the previous factor, you should also consider the facility’s staff-to-patient ratio. Are there enough employees to attend to all of the people living inside? Or are they understaffed, thus resulting in several employees exhausted every single day?
You wouldn’t want an understaffed facility, so find a facility that has a reasonable staff-to-patient ratio.
Fun and Social Activities
An assisted living facility may be a place for care and support first and foremost, but it is also a place for socializing and entertainment for older people.
For that reason, you should ask about what activities your assisted living facility of choice offers. Do these activities sound like fun to your parents? Additionally, does the facility offer time for their residents to do the things they like to do?
If the answers to these questions are yes, then it’s a facility worth considering.
The Residents
Your parents will be living in the assisted living facility for some time, so it’s crucial that they get along with their new neighbors.
To make sure this happens, you should bring along your parents when visiting a new facility and let them interact with the residents. See if they click or not. If they do, then the facility might be the right one for them.
Price
Assisted living facilities are generally cheaper than a nursing home, and their prices can vary — from $25,000 or lower to more than $50,000 a year. You should choose one that fits within your budget — but you should make sure not to compromise the quality of the facility for a low price.
The ideal facility should both be affordable and offer outstanding services.
Conclusion
At some point in their lives, your parents might have a difficult time living independently. Because of this, they might be better off taking residence at an assisted living facility.
Looking for a suitable facility for your parents may seem incredibly daunting, but the four factors mentioned above should be able to help you narrow down your choices.