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.