COURTESY OF METRO CREATIVE
Millions of people across the globe benefit from residing in assisted living facilities. Such facilities feature well-trained and highly skilled staff who can help aging men and women live full lives even if they’re dealing with cognitive and/or mobility issues.
The benefits of assisted living facilities are undeniable, but certain spaces may be a better fit than others depending on an individual’s unique needs. Choosing a facility may be up to the individual who will ultimately move in, but such decisions also have a tendency to be family affairs. Adult children of aging men and women often help their parents find a facility, and the following are some strategies families can employ to find the right space for adults who need some help with the tasks of everyday life.
Word-of-mouth recommendations. In its 2023 Local Care Survey, the National Council on Aging found that 63 percent of respondents utilized family and friends as a primary source of information on living options for aging loved ones. Though it’s important that families recognize older adults have their own unique needs and certain facilities may be more experienced at handling certain conditions than others, word-of-mouth recommendations can still yield valuable insight into what life is like at a given facility. And such intel also can provide useful insight as to how well a facility is maintained and how much it prioritizes communication with family members.
Decide where to look. Proximity to family is an important consideration when choosing an assisted living facility. The NCOA notes that family members willing to drive 20 to 30 minutes outside of their immediate area may have more options to choose from than those who want something closer to home. When considering proximity, each family member involved in the decision should give thought to how likely they are to visit their loved one if the facility is a significant distance away from home. Assisted living facilities often go to great lengths to ensure residents socialize amongst each other, but many may feel there’s no substitute for visits from their own family members. So a facility that’s within a short drive of a resident’s relatives might make the best fit if all other boxes are checked.
Exercise due diligence. It’s best to visit as many facilities as possible before making a final decision. Such diligence can provide insight that can be highly valuable to any family, but especially those who have never before had a relative move into an assisted living facility. Families can visit multiple facilities even in urgent situations when loved ones need immediate care. In such situations, enlist various adult family members to visit one or two facilities apiece, asking the same questions and taking notes at each one. Notes can then be compared during group discussions. This approach is efficient and ensures as many options as possible are given consideration before a final decision must be made.
Work with a loved one’s physician. If a loved one has a unique condition like dementia or greatly limited mobility, his or her physician should be consulted. For example, physicians may know of a facility or facilities that excel in handling residents with dementia, and that insight can increase the chances a loved one gets the level of care he or she needs and deserves.