Choosing the Best Senior Living Option

Tysons Woods Assisted Living September 30, 2016

At some point in many families’ lives comes the difficult decision of whether or not to move your elderly loved one to a senior living home. Despite valiant efforts to keep them in their current home, moving into a setting that is better equipped to meet their needs is the only true solution. The most important part of making this decision is to plan ahead. There are three important steps involved in planning your senior’s living arrangements.

Do the Research

The first step to take when choosing senior living care is to see what options are out there. In this day and age there are so many care facilities available, and they all have different approaches to elderly care. Look online for different options, and if possible, visit senior living homes that are close by to get a better idea of each facility’s culture. Not all assisted living homes are created equally.

Evaluate Your Loved One’s Needs

It is important to understand that people have different needs, and choosing the best living option is dependent on each senior’s individual needs. Most caregivers talk about the “least restrictive setting”, meaning that they try to make their facility feel like home as much as possible. Finding the right balance between restrictive and nonrestrictive is key. You must decide if an independent senior living, assisted living facility, or skilled nursing facility is the best option for your loved one.

Look at the Long-Term

One of the worst things for elderly men and women to go through is a drastic change in their life. Change can lead to stress and anxiety that is very unhealthy, especially in seniors. So when they have to move from their current home to an assisted living home, stress levels are very high. Going through a change that large more than once is not only unhealthy; it is expensive. So when you are evaluating senior living options, make sure to look at it from a long-term standpoint. As your loved one grows older and may require a higher level of care, will this senior living facility be able to meet his or her needs?

The decision to move your parent or loved one into a senior living home is challenging. But if you do the research and find a facility that meets all of his or her needs, the process won’t be a huge burden. There are many risks involved with living at home and aging in place, so the best option is to play it safe and find an assisted living home that works for your loved one. Contact Tysons Woods Assisted Living in Northern Virginia to learn all about the great community that we offer, or if you have any questions or need advice on picking the best senior living facility!

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