Assisted Living is a specific type of care for Seniors that cannot live independently in their own home.
What Is Assisted Living?
Who is shopping for an Assisted Living Facility? Approximately 85% of the calls we get at The Piper Assisted Living in Kansas City are from the children of a Senior in need of care.
Occasionally, grandchildren or siblings get involved. We rarely get calls from the individual themselves.
The obvious reason for these calls is because a loved one is already providing support for them.
Preparing meals, housekeeping and other activities of daily living are becoming more difficult, and in many cases lack of mobility or declining cognition make a move necessary.
What Are The Reasons Assisted Living Or Memory Support Is Necessary?
The term that is used by medical professionals and caregivers is “ADLs” or Activities of Daily Living. There are generally five ADLs that are considered:
- Personal hygiene – bathing/showering, grooming, nail care, and oral care
- Dressing — the ability to make appropriate clothing decisions and physically dress/undress oneself
- Eating — the ability to feed oneself, though not necessarily the capability to prepare food
- Maintaining continence — both the mental and physical capacity to use a restroom, including the ability to get on and off the toilet and cleaning oneself
- Transferring/Mobility — moving oneself from seated to standing, getting in and out of bed, and the ability to walk independently from one location to another
If an individual is unable to perform three out of five of these activities, then they would typically qualify for Assisted Living.
How Will An Assisted Living Community Help My Mom?
Assisted Living team members aid Seniors in completing these daily tasks.
In addition, meals are prepared, housekeeping and general maintenance are provided.
Entertainment, exercise classes, arts, and crafts, plus opportunities for group involvement are offered each week.
Falls are reduced, medication errors prevented and good nutrition is provided.
By having assistance around the clock, Seniors can function in a way that extends their ability to stay as independent as possible.
Other Reasons Assisted Living May Be Desirable
One of the most important reasons to consider a new living situation is isolation.
MedicareAdvantage.com reports that “Senior isolation is one of the biggest threats to the health of America’s seniors, while it remains among the most difficult to recognize. It’s a health risk not often discussed, but at least a quarter of seniors over 65 live with loneliness, and its devastating effects can be felt physically, mentally and emotionally.”
Isolation increases the probability that Seniors will be depressed, have more falls and lose the ability to care for themselves.
Living In An Assisted Living Facility
Living among other Seniors brings back a sense of family and close friends.
Socialization and interaction may delay or reverse symptoms of decline and give an Elder more quality time in their lives.
The balance of providing assistance and maintaining the dignity of the individual is the goal.
The Piper Assisted Living, and award-winning Kansas City senior care facility, provides this balance with focus on each person as a unique individual with their own history that has brought them to this point.
Enriching their life is paramount. With our “person first” philosophy and staff training, The Piper is truly a change of address– not a move into an institution.