Assisted living facilities are suitable for those who desire an independent lifestyle and assistance for their individual needs altogether. While residing in these communities, seniors feel independent and experience peace of mind, as their daily needs, such as personal mobility, bathing, meals, dressing, and transportation, are met adequately. If you are planning to choose assisted living for any of your elderly family members, it is imperative that you make an ideal choice. Here are some tips that can help you choose a suitable assisted living facility for your loved one.

Consider the care needs
For choosing an ideal assisted living community, you require taking the specific care needs of your elderly member into consideration. Figure out what type of emotional, physical, and mental care they require on a daily or weekly basis. Doing this would help you zero in on a community that is equipped for providing the required care.

Inspect the accommodation
Check the accommodation for ensuring that your loved one stays happily and comfortably at the assisted living community. Check whether the rooms are properly ventilated and lighted, whether they provide a private bathroom, whether there is enough storage and closet space, with easy-to-reach cabinets, and whether the facility provides home-like atmosphere to its members.

Enquire about the staff and residents
Find out about the staff offering services at the assisted living facility. Check whether they are specially trained and skilled enough to offer genuine care to the elderly residents. Additionally, you should check with the existing residents. Try to find out whether they are happy and satisfied living there.

Consider the safety measures
For ensuring the safety of your loved one, you must inspect the facility for its safety features. For instance, check for the grab bars in the bathrooms, handrails in the hallways, smoke detectors, and sprinklers in rooms. In addition to this, the accommodation should have well-lit grounds, hallways wide enough for walkers and wheelchairs, emergency call systems, and secure entryways.

Consider the activity schedule
All the assisted living communities offer a wide range of events and activities to keep residents busy and happy. To make sure that the activities suit your loved one’s interests, you need to check the activity schedule of the community that you are planning to send them to.

Check the location and accessibility
The location of the assisted living facility is an important factor that you must consider while choosing one for your relative. You require considering its accessibility, as it should be close enough for you to visit often. You should choose a location where your elderly family member would feel comfortable. For example, you should not choose a location so far away that they start feeling detached from the place they have spent a great deal of their life at.

You must have heard about assisted living and you may also be familiar with the practice. However, if you think you are not well acquainted with the concept, continue reading to learn more about assisted living and all that it provides.

As not all assisted living facilities are equal, they provide differing levels of care. By either contracting with some health agencies or employing personal care staff, these facilities offer less expensive services that skilled nursing homes usually offer. Depending on the facility’s licensing, some facilities provide lighter care while others with a high degree of licensing offer a high-level care to people confined to bed.

Assisted living facility is not a nursing home
Both provide care; however, there is a difference between assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Assisted living facilities assist seniors to do what they can do for themselves while providing the required help. Generally, assisted living facilities are residential facilities, ranging from apartment complexes, renovated schools to converted homes. Unless one is willing to pay a higher cost, seniors usually share rooms.

Specially trained staff
The staff at assisted living facilities are specially trained for providing required care to people. Especially, the staff at memory care communities are trained for catering to people with dementia or impaired cognition. They can easily recognize signs of pain that people with advanced dementia fail to communicate clearly. Additionally, they also know what triggers anxiety in such people and the ways to curb them.

Pets are allowed
Knowing the role that pets play in keeping their owners happy and improving their health, most of the assisted living facilities allow pets. However, different facilities have different pet policies; so you need to check with the facility that you intend to rely on.
Assisted living facilities are happy places
Unlike nursing homes and hospitals, assisted living communities are happy places. They have a vibrant atmosphere wherein a variety of personalities can fit in. They keep organizing activities that keep the residents busy and in good spirits. Exercise programs, puzzles, and music therapy to trivia games at these facilities help seniors reduce stress.

Reasonable pricing
Choosing an assisted living for an elderly person is a less expensive option than a nursing home. Assisted living communities usually provide 24-hour help and other services, including meals, medication assistance, and housekeeping at affordable prices.

Cozy home-like atmosphere
Residents get to maintain their independence and receive desired help while living in a home-like atmosphere of an assisted living community. With a living area, multiple rooms, and all the comforts of a home, such as a private bathroom, television and more, it makes residents feel at home.