There comes a time in most people’s lives when they can no longer live independently and care for themselves effectively. Is your family member no longer able to live at home on their own?
Deciding to put your loved one into a care facility isn’t easy, but you can follow some best practices to ensure they are comfortable, cared for, and safe during their stay.
Keep reading as we discuss the best tips and practices when selecting an assisted living facility for elderly family members.
Ability For Visitors To Check In Easily
Your loved one’s stay won’t be comfortable unless you feel comfortable visiting them regularly. For this reason, you should select a facility close to where you live that you can easily commute to every week, ensuring your loved one feels loved and does not feel lonely or ‘abandoned’, during their residency.
Another way to ensure your visits are straightforward is to look for a facility with a simple and easy-to-use visitor management system. If the visitor management process takes less time, you will grow impatient and dread your visits.
So, looking for a facility that employs cloud-based access control and visitor management software is best. Visitor management software is an integration tool for access control that automates the visitor management process.
Instead of checking in using a log book or waiting to be seen by an attendant at the facility, you can quickly check in on your mobile device. You can fill out a form, providing details, your relation to the resident, and who you’re here to see.
Once you have provided these details, the system will allow you to download temporary access credentials – like a digital keycard – to your mobile device to enter the building quickly. Once you leave the building, the system will sign you out. You won’t be able to re-enter without registering again.
Since assisted living facilities can be busy, you should wait a while to gain entry and be given a visitor pass to see your loved one. However, with automated visitor management, you can see your loved one on your own time without waiting for a staff member to become available to help you.
Open Areas With Natural Barriers For Patients
When your loved one is staying in an assisted living facility, you need assurance that they can spend time outdoors safely and independently. If they decide to bring their beloved pet to stay with them, keep in mind the facility’s pet policies and prepare the necessary documents.
To ensure your loved one can access fresh air and outdoor time whenever they like, it’s best to look for a secure open area facility. Gated barriers should prevent intruders from entering these areas, and they should also prevent your loved one from leaving the property – they could become confused, leave the site, and get lost.
There should be gated access control to allow authorized visitors and personnel to enter. Still, there should be a completely secure perimeter so your loved one stays in the facility where they will be safe.
Modern Security Technology
In addition to worrying about our loved one’s happiness and quality of life in an assisted living center, we also need to consider their safety.
The elderly are often targets of theft and other crimes due to their vulnerability. If you want your loved one to be happy in their new living situation, you should look for a facility equipped with modern security technologies, such as:
- Keyless door entry – a facility with a RFID door lock system does not use keycards or fobs and instead uses mobile credentials for access. Using mobile credentials reduces the potential for keycard theft, which is a significant risk to safety in a retirement facility.
- Rule-based access – not every visitor or employee should be able to access your loved one’s room or medications. So, you need a facility that secures individual residences, ensuring your loved one’s room or home can only be accessed by authorized personnel.
- Alarm systems – smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and glass break detectors are instrumental for resident safety in an assisted living facility.
- Security cameras – if a crime does occur on the property, you’ll need evidence to make a claim. So, ensure the facility is equipped with security cameras.
- Patient monitoring features – you should supervise your loved one and be able to access help 24/7. So, ask the facility about their patient monitoring amenities.
Real-Time Notifications For Security Issues
Most importantly, your facility should have real-time notification features that keep staff updated on security issues at all times. The sooner staff are aware of a security or safety incident, the sooner they will be able to respond and resolve the incident. Opting for a facility with mobile-led and cloud-based solutions will ensure rapid response procedures.
Summary
If you’re looking to place your loved one in an assisted living facility, you need to know that they can access round-the-clock care and can go outdoors at a time of their choosing safely. Looking for these features in an assisted living facility will help you ensure that your loved one is safe during their stay and provide easy access to your loved one for regular visitation.