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.

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.