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Villa Bonita New Year's Celebration with the Charger Band

The Best Gifts are Simple

       The holidays can be a wonderful time of year, when families and friends gather to share the old times and the new.

     Yet for seniors, the joy of the gatherings and the season in general can be a mixed blessing as eager anticipation can give way to additional stress. The staff at Villa Bonita offer helpful holiday tips to make the season a joyous one for everyone.

     “Seniors recognize that the best gift of all is spending time with family and friends. Unhurried, uncomplicated time together means the most and creates memories for everyone involved. Give the best gift of all—your time,” said Jenny Wallis from Villa Bonita.

      

Ten tips to help seniors and you make the most of the holiday season

1. Quiet is good. Many seniors live in environments that are relatively quiet, with a limited amount of activity in a day. Think about how much stimulation may be in your environment and limit the number of activities or the amount of time seniors are involved in them. Loud family gatherings can be a bit much after a while, so a quiet place to sit down may be a good refuge.
2. Be the senior for a moment. Before an event begins, put yourself in your senior’s shoes. Do you have difficulty walking? Do you have trouble remembering names? Plan ahead to make adjustments that can help make the situation more amenable. It can be as simple as moving furniture and making nametags.
3. Share a holiday tradition. Invite a senior to share a favorite holiday memory or tradition. Maybe it’s a favorite cookie, decorations, arranging a centerpiece or a favorite movie or song that you can share with them.
4. Appreciate limitations. Encourage older family members to take it easy and let you pamper them for a change. Let them help with smaller, less complicated tasks if they wish to participate.
5. Encourage these great storytellers. Many older relatives live in their memories. Encourage them to talk about holidays gone by. If they keep albums, ask to see the pictures. They may have some wonderful traditions from their childhood that you can incorporate into your own family’s plans.
6. Share a favorite meal together. Prepare a dish the senior loved as a child or once prepared as a holiday tradition. Try involving seniors in the process, instead of making the dish for them, allowing them to feel helpful and needed.
7. Give a hand with holiday décor. Decorations add so much to the holiday season. Help loved ones feel at home during the holidays by setting up their Christmas tree or Menorah with them. Again, having them help you put ornaments on the tree or plugging in the lights can make seniors feel helpful and involved.
8. Drive around town. Many seniors don’t drive as much as they used to, but they’d still love to see the holiday decorations put up by retail stores and overzealous neighbors.
9. Stay in touch. For seniors it’s so important to know you are thinking of them during the holidays, especially those who are alone. Seniors today are of the generation that loves the simple things: a note in the mail, or a phone call. Invite them for a cup of coffee. It doesn’t have to be much; it’s the thought that counts.
10. Help with mobility. If a senior is coming for a visit, remove slippery throw rugs and items that could present barriers to a senior who has difficulty walking or balance problems. 

 
Villa Bonita provides the finest in assisted living and memory care options for residents. Located in Chula Vista, California, the expertly trained staff provides residents with the highest standards of senior care services. It is operated by Integral Senior Living, which manages independent living, assisted living, and memory care properties. ISL is founded on a care philosophy that fosters dignity and respect for residents and promotes their independence and individuality. For more information on Villa Bonita call 619-476-9444 or visit www.villabonitaseniorlivng.com.

Welcome Villa Bonita to the CVCF!

We are now a member of the Chula Vista Charitable Foundation!

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.