When is the best time to go to assisted living?

Updated on August 28, 2023

Sometimes it becomes too much of hassles for caregivers to look after seniors at home. It is because of the person’s declining ability that calls for more care and attention, which might not be possible to organize at home.  The biggest concern when taking care of them at home is to ensure a safe environment, which often becomes very difficult to ensure. Besides, seniors might require round the clock care and assistance, which is difficult to arrange at home by caregivers within the family who cannot devote as much time as needed because of their pre-occupation. If any of your beloved seniors face such a predicament at home, you must realize that it’s time for assisted living. 

On the other hand, seniors want to lead a stress-free life as they age and want to get rid of the burdens of responsibilities attached to homeownership that becomes difficult to manage.  Sometimes seniors might feel that they would be comfortable to lead a life in an assisted living that takes care of them round the clock, and they need not worry about anything except how to enjoy their lives within a community in the fading years. 

When you feel that the home infrastructure is inadequate to ensure a comfortable life for seniors, you can think of sending them to some high-end senior living where they can live a luxurious life in the way they have spent the major time of their lives.

Here are some sure signs that will tell you to explore a senior assisted living facility for your loved ones.

Insufficient home care

When seniors realize that the caregiver in the family is feeling exhausted and unable to provide the desired level of care, which is growing by the day, the caregiver feels frustrated at not living up to the expectation. Sending the senior to an assisted living facility is the best decision at that time. If seniors need more help due to their decreasing ability to perform their tasks, they would be better off at some assisted living facility.

Facing frequent falls and accidents

If seniors at home cannot move around safely and become more vulnerable to accidents and falls, it is an alarming sign that the house is no longer safe for them.  As people age, they tend to lose their body balance and the chances of falling increase. In most cases, falls are the most common type of accident at home that goes undetected for a long time. Sending seniors to an assisted living facility will ensure that their people are not only looking after them round the clock, but the environment has sufficient in-built safety to protect seniors from falling or slipping. 

Frequent need for medical care

The chances are that many seniors have some chronic medical condition that can suddenly worsen, and they would require immediate medical assistance. Sometimes seniors take a long time to recover from injury and need close attention care, which is only available at the assisted living facilities. All assisted living facilities have proper medical set up and arrangements for medical emergencies and provide sustained medical assistance to the community members to ensure that they can take appropriate care of their health.

Primary personal care becomes difficult

 The need for personal care increases with age, and a time comes when it is difficult to provide the desired level of care at home for the lack of caregivers and other resources. If you find a deficiency in personal care for seniors that can put them at risk of diseases and poor health, sending them to a senior assisted living facility is the best option.

Housekeeping is not up to the mark

To ensure senior health, good housekeeping is essential to keep the place clean and clutter-free, which can become problematic at times at home. Sending seniors to an assisted living facility will ensure a clean and healthy environment that cheers up the mind and makes a living more enjoyable.  While seniors might have to look after housekeeping to some extent, they are entirely relieved of the responsibility as there are people to keep the facility clean and tidy. 

Home becomes dangerous

Aged people find difficulties in their movements as they lose control of their body, making navigating within the home dangerous. At the same time, they might have to negotiate with steps and stairs and uneven floor surfaces while moving around. It impedes their ability to do their daily chores as the place poses various dangers that could lead to accidents and falls. Moreover, if your home is located on a busy street, it can be dangerous for seniors venturing out. 

Seniors are well looked after at the assisted senior living facilities and enjoy a safe and comfortable life, which could be better than what they experienced at home.  

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