Benefits for Assisted Living

 

Benefits for Assisted Living in Escondido, California

Research shows that assisted living enhances health and happiness for seniors. It provides a secure environment, supervised nutrition, significant opportunities for social activity, but also independence. Nonetheless, taking this step can be difficult or even frightening, whether you are a senior looking for a facility or you are interested in enlisting your loved one. With so many options available, it is important to know exactly where your potential assisted living home is located and what offerings are within and around the community.

 

Park View Villa, Escondido, CA

For those who live or want to reside in San Diego County, Park View Villa is a great home in a beautiful community nestled in the rolling hills of Escondido, California. With many amenities and special activities nearby, there is always something going on in and around the community that cover many interests. From world famous zoos, to large indoor shopping centers, to local street fairs and markets, Escondido has it all.

At Park View Villa, we aim to provide our valued residents with a warm and welcoming place in a peaceful country setting with extraordinary individual service and comfort.

From the instant you approach the Villa, the distinction is clear. Your senses are filled with the quiet sounds of nature – from birds singing, to the sounds of water flowing from our fountains, to the park and mountain vistas and rolling hills. Once within the spacious Villa, you notice the attention to detail. From the art and statuary, to the custom made movie chairs in our theatre, to the rich transitional furnishings, all hand-picked to supply our residents with visual stimulation, quiet surroundings, and the ambiance of personalized service.

Exquisite service is the hallmark of Park View Villa. From the individual custom ordered breakfast and lunches, to the additional formal dinners served in our elegant dining area. Our resident portfolio includes access to a hairstylist, manicure, pedicure and massage services in addition to our 24 hour personal assistance from our skilled caregivers.

 

 

What is an assisted living facility?

If this is your first time looking for a community to care for an aging loved one, you may not be familiar with an assisted living community or what residing in one might be like. It is easy to believe that taking residence in one is like a retirement home or a nursing home, however care professionals have worked hard over the last three decades to make them truly feel like home.

An assisted living facility offers comfortable housing with nursing care, housekeeping, and prepared meals for elderly or disabled people. Residents who live here are mainly independent, but may need help with everyday personal tasks such as dressing or bathing. They usually reside in a bedroom, studio, or small bedroom apartment within the facility.

The community may assist in setting up the appropriate medical and dental care services for each resident. The resident generally chooses his or her medical provider and dental services.

It is important to remember that assisted living communities are a bridge between living at home and living in a more dependent home such as a nursing home. Assisted living communities don’t generally provide the amount of continuous trained medical care found in nursing homes and hospitals, however most facilities allow mobile doctors and hospice care to provide medical services at their location.

Assisted living facilities allow individuals to stay independent as long as possible in an environment that maximizes the person’s dignity, safety, and privacy, as well as encourages family and community involvement. In cases of a temporary incapacity, the resident should be allowed to stay within the facility or should be readmitted once needed outside services are provided. These living facilities typically allow the resident to stay as long as the necessary services are available.

 

What does assisted living provide?

Help With Daily Living

Caregivers are additionally responsible in helping with the activities of daily living of each resident such as dressing, bathing, and eating. One of the most basic tenets of assisted living is helping older adults with these activities so that they can continue to live as independently as possible.

 

Arranged Meals

Assisted living offers nutritious, arranged meals catered for individual tastes, medical conditions, and needs. Residents are served three meals a day custom fitted to their changing health needs and some luxury communities even offer luxury dining experiences.

 

Housekeeping and Transportation

Remembering appointments, day-to-day tasks and housekeeping are often stressful for not only seniors but also their family. The overwhelming majority of these burdens are eased in assisted living and the community offers housework and other similar services.

 

Intellectual Stimulation

Assisted living communities offer many opportunities for learning and stimulation – for example, activities such as outings, social events, gardening and more. Some communities are even situated close to educational facilities so that residents can take advantage of nearby resources such as courses and cultural offerings.

 

Social Activity

Living at home can be isolating. Seniors frequently find it hard to keep their social relationships when they are retired. Assisted living offers socialization through arranged activities and excursions, such as cultural events and field trips. Every day living in the common areas also provides fun and socialization for seniors.

 

Physical Activity and Fitness

Many assisted living communities offer exercise classes, rec-center equipment and even fitness coaches to help with senior fitness and physical therapy.

 

Safe Living Environment

Frequently, home living changes and in-home care are required for a safe living environment in the family home, which can be very costly. Assisted living is intended for accessibility and mobility while also offering expert care and medical attention if necessary.

 

How does it work?

Before making a final decision on the kind of senior care you or your loved one will enroll in, it is necessary to compare cost, efficiency, reputation and location of the various facilities currently available on the market. Besides assisted living, other choices you can pursue include independent living, nursing homes and Alzheimer’s care. These have specific features and are intended to meet different requirements for individual patients. Here you will find the unique aspects identified with assisted living in order to make your decision less demanding and the transition as hassle-free as could be expected.

While independent living offers seniors an active and flourishing social community, it is generally focused for those individuals who require little to no assistance. Then again, there are also home health services which offer physical therapy, part-time assistance or hospice in the comfort of your own home. The staff generally includes nurses, social workers or therapists.

For sufferers of dementia, Alzheimer’s or other health conditions which affect cognitive function, there is memory care. These facilities provide specialized help with exceptional professionals and a patient-focused approach. If your relative needs continuous supervision, then nursing homes are also an addition option and are perfect for those seeking rehabilitative treatment. Residents will likewise benefit from equipment, medication and other resources which are otherwise only found in hospitals (and are not part of other types of care regimens).

Assisted living offers personalized services, with emphasis on day-to-day living and creating social connections. They are intended for seniors who can’t live by themselves and want the convenience and reassurance of a community, yet also want to keep their independence. This type of care provides apartment-style locations (either individual or neighboring other elderly residents), as well as additional home-care support. A typical home incorporates a private bed and bathroom, a dining room, a kitchen and a lounge area for socializing and recreation. Using a rental model, assisted living offers a full-package with regards to personal care services. On the off chance that you or your relative need health care, but not to the extent of joining a nursing home, then this type of facility is the ideal choice for you.

 

What is a typical day like?

Seniors in an assisted living environment deal with their time as they choose and tend to discover a balance between arranged activities and their own individual autonomy. Individuals of all abilities and interests live in assisted living communities and the spaces for the most part are intended to accommodate get-togethers and an assortment of activities.

When it comes to a typical day at an assisted living facility, there are usually two types of schedules these facilities follow. Residents are either set on a regimented schedule, or allowed to pursue their own agenda, with some facilities acting as a hybrid between the two.

For a smooth transition into assisted living, the best schedule would be to have no schedule at all. A person making the transition should experience and do the same things they did before they moved in, without set times for activities or meals unless they prefer to do such activities at those times. Their schedule should closely duplicate their living at home as best and accommodating as possible.

Although many facilities do not have a regimented daily schedule, they should still accommodate their residents with services and activities such as:

• Appointment Scheduling: Assist in scheduling of appointments with primary care doctors, specialists and other providers of care for the elderly.
• Customized Care Planning: Participate in family/healthcare provider care meetings and provide caregiver support.
• Medication Assistance: Provide education about safe use of senior medications and create an easy system for taking and refilling prescriptions.
• Doctor Communication: Speak with the resident’s medical providers to enhance understanding of elder care plans and to communicate concerns.
• Customized Activity Plans: Find out what each resident likes to do for fun, and then setup activity plans according to their responses.
• Customized Meal Plans: Create meal plans that satisfy the needs and wants of each resident, as well as provide special celebrations such as birthdays and holidays.

 

Who can live in an assisted living facility?

The typical assisted living resident is a senior citizen who has endured a mild decline in their general well being, typically due to an injury, an ailment or simply because of aging. They may encounter difficulties performing every day capacities such as washing or dressing, or have mentally declined. The comfort of a community and the medical attention received helps residents flourish.

Assisted living is for individuals who need help with day-to-day care, but not as much care as a nursing home gives. Assisted living facilities range in size from as few as 4 residents to 120 or more. Typically, a few different levels of care are offered, with residents paying more for higher levels of care.

Individuals who live in assisted living residences for the most part have less complicated health and assistance needs than people in nursing homes. This housing option empowers seniors to stay in a home-like setting in their communities and promotes their independence and dignity.

 

What is the difference between assisted living and a nursing home?

The biggest variations between these two forms of senior housing centers revolve around medical services provided and also the physical plant of each community.

 

Care and Services Provided

Residents in a nursing home need around the clock care and observation. They usually live with a lot of complicated health care conditions that need the help of a skilled nurse or a physical therapist. Some require respiratory care services.

By contrast, residents in an assisted living community typically need protective care. It might be someone who lives with memory loss and isn’t safe living alone. Or an adult with mobility issues who needs a touch of help transferring from their bed to their favorite chair.

 

Housing Communities

One obvious distinction once you tour both a nursing home and an assisted living community is their look. While a nursing care center generally looks a little institutional because of the type of care provided, an assisted living usually resembles an upscale apartment community or residential home.

Nursing home residents are more likely to share a space with another senior. Residents in an assisted living community usually have their own apartment, suite, or bedroom.

 

When is it time for assisted living?

It may be tough to come to a decision on the proper time to make the move, and the right time varies for each person. Generally, assisted living is good for those that would like some help in their daily lives, but don’t need advanced medical care.

If you or your loved one finds it difficult to perform daily living tasks, has mobility problems, needs access to medical care, or desires to live in a place that provides social activities with different like-minded seniors, it might be time to undertake assisted living.

Some signs that signal that it may be time to look into assisted living include:

 

Monetary Issues

Many aging seniors have less capability when it comes to keeping up with all their monetary responsibilities. Bills from banks and insurance will pile up because seniors either don’t have the means to pay them or they merely can’t. Diseases like dementia additionally have an effect on seniors’ ability to think abstractly and handle numbers on a complex level. This could result in difficulties when doing taxes or taking care of multiple bills at the same time. Seniors can even typically be vulnerable to monetary scams, whether or not it’s from telemarketers or their family members. These scams will place seniors in debilitating financial stress, which might prevent them from taking care of themselves – if they live in their own residence or not.

 

Worsening Medical Conditions

As seniors age, the chance they develop a chronic medical condition skyrockets. The Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons (AARP) reported that over seventy million individuals (aged fifty and older) have a minimum of one chronic medical condition, and these will be debilitating problems like Alzheimer’s disease or cardiovascular disease. When seniors with conditions like this become older, they need additional medical attention and are less capable of taking care of themselves. Outside of chronic conditions, the potential for medical emergencies will increase with age. If your beloved indicates that he or she has fallen and struggled to get up on more than one occasion, it’s not safe for them to be living on their own. Nearly one third of seniors fall a minimum of once each year, and the death rate for falls has climbed steadily within the past decade.

 

Poor Hygiene and Frailty

While a beloved might have some level of ability to care of him or herself, a sign that it should be time for assisted living is that the lack of motivation for doing so. Some signs of poor hygiene include untidy grooming habits and a foul odor, which may indicate they aren’t bathing as much as they ought to or washing laundry. This may additionally mean they’re beginning to lack the ability of taking care of themselves, too.

Seniors may also start to become frail as they age, meaning they might appear skinnier or thinner than usual. This may be caused by a lack of eating, or something a lot more serious like a medical issue that hasn’t been addressed yet.

 

Isolation

Senior isolation is a serious problem. More than eleven million seniors live alone, per the U.S. Census, and isolation may have an effect on seniors’ overall health. When seniors isolate themselves, that means they decrease how much they participate in things their hobbies, social interactions with family and friends, or simply leaving the house at all. Some health issues associated with isolation include:

• Depression: The lack of community or sense of purpose will cause seniors to become depressed, that is an agent for unwellness like dementia and cardiovascular disease.
• Addiction: Seniors who are isolated usually develop dangerous health habits like drinking, smoking cigarettes, and prescription abuse.
• Mortality: Simply put, isolation is directly associated with seniors’ mortality, according to a study.

 

Messy Living Space

An untidy and odorous living area will indicate that a senior might not be able to live on his or her own any longer. This will usually be explained with a senior’s inability to wash up after themselves, getting to the point where they can’t vacuum the house or clean the dishes (or even get dishes into the dishwasher).

It’s also vital that you inspect the food your beloved is consuming. Open up the refrigerator and look around:

• Is there spoiled food piled on top of spoiled food?
• Are there heaps of foods past their expiration date?
• Is there tons of identical food, like leftovers of identical thing from the same restaurant?

All these could also be signs that your beloved:

• Can’t cook for him or herself any longer
• Isn’t consuming healthy food or full meals, that causes a general health problem.

 

How to find a good assisted living home?

In order to find a good home to meet your needs, you will need to get answers to see if the facility will be a good fit. The process of finding the right home for yourself or your loved one can be overwhelming.

While visiting and touring assisted living homes, you will need to take in as much information as possible to help make your choice. Here are some questions to ask to better understand what each home provides:

Assistance
Will the facility offer the medical and private help you wish to manage your daily needs?
What is your staff-to-resident ratio?
How many staff members are on duty overnight?

Medical Care
Will the facility have affordable access to medical aid, treatment centers and a hospital if necessary?
What kind of training does your staff possess?
Can staff administer medications?

Licensing and certification
Is the facility accredited, certified and does it have a decent record of providing quality care?

Cost
Can the costs be explained for this living arrangement?
What are your billing and payment policies?
Are all services included?
How much are additional services?

Facility Philosophy
What goals will the facility have for residents? For instance, will the facility encourage residents to be active and independent?
What is your discharge policy?

Life Within the Facility
Are social or learning opportunities offered beside medical and sensible care?
Do you have outdoor space?
What types of activities and events do you offer?

Residents
Would you be okay living in the current surroundings with the residents of the facility?
Do you offer a choice for meals?
Do you have the option of a private or shared room?
What furnishings are provided?