Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays everyone! Come in today and see our decorations. :)

When is it Time for Assisted Living?

Dear Jenny,
How can you tell if and when it is the right time to move your parent into assisted living?

     It can be not only tough on you, but it can be difficult for the whole family when it comes to making the decision of having to move a parent into an assisted living community. The thought of leaving a beloved home that holds many years of memories can bring sadness and grief to anyone. It is a common feeling and completely understandable. But when it comes to not being able to take care of the upkeep of the home or, more importantly, the upkeep of yourself, then it might be time to entertain the idea of moving to assisted living.
     The words assisted living are not bad words, they are just used to describe a person who is able to still live by themselves but may need a bit more assistance in the tasks involved in average daily living (ADL).
Maybe a person can do everything they used to do, but they no longer want to cook, clean, drive or do their laundry. That’s where assisted living comes in; they will take care of all of that for you.
     Or perhaps, your home is just too large, you don’t entertain anymore and you are ready to downsize; that’s where assisted living comes in. You still have your own apartment and your own privacy, you are just not responsible for cleaning up such a large area.
      If you take medications during the day and sometimes you forget if you took them, that’s where assisted living comes in. The medical technicians will store your medications and administer them when needed. If you are uneasy in the shower, maybe you need a bar to hold onto or a person to stand by and make sure you don’t fall, that’s where assisted living comes in.
     The services that assisted living communities offer are simply assistance with average daily living tasks. Life is all about living and we might need assistance with it, but we still need to thrive in it. So many families think that making the decision to offer assisted living to their parents is an insult, and so many parents think that living in an assisted living community is an admission of defeat. But that is not true at all. More often than not, as soon as a person has lived in assisted living for at least two weeks, they state they wished they had made the move sooner!
      So never be afraid to check out what is out there and never be afraid to speak to your parents about assisted living.
      It’s great to have all your ducks in a row before the actual time comes when fixing three meals a day becomes so difficult that
not cooking, and therefore not eating, is much easier!



If you have questions about senior care or helping an elderly loved one, contact Jenny Wallis, Community Marketing Director at Villa Bonita Senior Living at (619) 739-4400 or by e-mail at villabonitamkg2@islllc.com.  Villa Bonita Senior Living is a licensed assisted living community located at 3434 Bonita Road, Chula Vista.  You can also visit Villa Bonita online at www.villabonitaseniorliving.com.

Waiting Until after the Holidays to Move Mom or Dad in?

Watch this vlog to see the ideas presented in the previous blog, "It's Best to Move a Loved One Now Rather than After the Holidays," expanded by Community Marketing Director, Jennifer.

Happy Autumn!!!

It's Best to Move a Loved One Now Rather than After the Holidays

Dear Jenny,
I want to wait until after the holidays before moving my mom into a community so that she can spend the holidays at home with us. Is that a good idea?

     Well actually, that is not such a good idea. Why you ask, well consider this… You are in your home of 60 years and the holidays are here! Your daughter has been telling you about this great place you are going to move to “after the holidays.” So now you have plenty of time to sit in your home and look around and remember all the holidays of past, to think about how much you are going to miss it and you are going to go to a place where you don’t know anyone. But wait, the kids are here and the family is around so hey, you can be distracted! Oh but now the holidays are over, you have said goodbye to your home with memories of the recent family gathering and you are in the lovely new room in your new community.
     You have some small memories around and you need to go eat but you are not sure where you are going, or who you are sitting with, but hey that nice lady who works there should be around somewhere… you know your daughter will call soon but she already took time off from work so you know she’s probably busy. And the grandkids… no wait now they are back at school. So how can we solve this disastrous mix of sadness and depression?

     Well now imagine this instead... you come into your new home and lots of fun is brewing, there are holiday parties, things to invite the grandkids to to enjoy, and lots of family around to help you set up your new place. You are meeting new people, getting to know the new place and you can still go out and join the family for all the regular holiday traditions that make this time of year great. You are meeting new friends to talk about past holiday traditions, the staff are all happy and bustling to make the time fun and joyous and you can even invite your daughter from out of town to see your new home since she is here for the holidays. Now when the holidays are over, you are still a little sad. The kids are back at work, grandkids back at school. But at least you know Martha is there and you are glad you have a friend now at your new home. You know that you can find Tom sitting in the activity room and he is always up for a chat. And you think, well now the holidays are over… but at least I’m not sitting home alone and I have a new beginning with new friends.
     With all of this said, moving mom in before the holidays can make the transition into an Assisted Living much easier and less stressful and overwhelming for both you and your mom. Yes, everyone will be around to care for her no matter what, but the emotional toll that a move after the holidays can take can be devastating. If you're looking into Assisted Living for a loved one, move them in now so they can get settled in for the best experience he or she can have. And helping mom emotionally also helps her stay healthy!



If you have questions about senior care or helping an elderly loved one, contact Jenny Wallis, Community Marketing Director at Villa Bonita Senior Living at (619) 476-9444 or by e-mail at villabonitamkg2@islllc.com.

Happy Veterans' Day from all of us at Villa Bonita!

Watch the Glee Club, our residents, and the local girl and boy scouts sing along to patriotic songs in honor of all the veterans and active military personnel out there!

Interview with Lori (resident) on Assisted Living

Winners of our Halloween Costume Contest!

Our Marketing Director, Jenny

Residents Audrey and Carmen!

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Checkout our 2nd vlog post! It talks about dealing with individuals who have dementia and when we will be meeting for our next support group. Thank you for watching and don't forget to subscribe!