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Benefits of Living in an Assisted Living Community

Assisted living communities offer a wide range of benefits for older adults who need additional support and care. Here are a few key advantages of living in an assisted living community:

Access to professional care and support: One of the biggest benefits of assisted living is the access to professional care and support from trained staff. Residents have access to assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, and medication management, which can help them maintain their independence and improve their quality of life.
Socialization opportunities: Assisted living communities provide a sense of community and socialization opportunities for residents. Many communities offer group activities and events, such as games, exercise classes, and outings, which can help residents stay active and engaged.
Safe and secure living environment: Assisted living communities are designed to provide a safe and secure living environment for residents. Many communities have emergency response systems, fire safety protocols, and security measures in place to protect residents and ensure their safety.
Health and wellness services: Many assisted living communities also offer health and wellness services, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, which can help residents maintain their physical and cognitive health.
Personalized care: Assisted living communities can provide personalized care, support, and services to meet the unique needs of each resident. This allows residents to maintain their independence and autonomy, while receiving the support they need.
Access to specialized care: Some assisted living communities offer specialized care for individuals with specific needs, such as memory care for those with dementia or Alzheimer’s, or care for individuals with mobility challenges.
Home-like environment: Assisted living communities are designed to feel like a home-like environment, which can help residents feel more comfortable and at ease.
Flexibility: Assisted living communities offer flexibility in terms of care and services, and residents can adjust the level of care they receive as their needs change over time.
Peace of mind for families: Living in an assisted living community can provide peace of mind for families, who may worry about the safety and well-being of their loved ones living alone.
Cost-effective: Assisted living can be a cost-effective option for older adults who need additional support and care, but do not require round-the-clock nursing care that is provided in a nursing home.

Overall, assisted living communities provide older adults with the support and care they need to live independently and comfortably. With access to professional care, socialization opportunities, and a safe and secure living environment, assisted living can help improve the quality of life for older adults. Find the right community for you here.

A Request from a Nun: Mental Health for Assisted Living Residents

One of our assisted living communities serves as home to over a dozen nuns from local convents. They are some of my favorite people to sit down with and it is largely because we share the same values and beliefs. I was sitting with one of the sisters last week to find out how things are going.

Some History…

To give background…Sister Chris (name changed) moved into our community seven months ago (two months after we had taken over). Shortly after her arrival, I was addressing all the residents to provide updates and opened the floor to questions and comments. Sister Chris raised her hand and began to tell me how much value the residents have to offer Prosper in making the community fun and engaging. I was able to describe our Prosper Purpose care model and how it aligned perfectly with her desire to provide value within our community. I immediately knew I had someone special that I was dealing with.

Within a month, Sister Chris became our secretary for the resident council meetings and proceeded to take notes, type them up after the meeting and email them to the appropriate people from her laptop. She was then an integral part of overhauling our resident council process to make sure we were creating the perfect environment for residents to address their concerns. She has been a blessing, to say the least.

The Request…

Fast forward 6 months….to last week. I was visiting the community for a full day of fun and parties to celebrate assisted living week. Sister Chris and I were able to sit down and talk so I could get her input. I was not expecting what came next.

Sister Chris told me that there is so much negativity and divisiveness in the world right now and it is felt by the residents every day. She went on to say she feels it is causing groups of residents to become hostile and upset with each other, and not even understand why. Sister Chris advocated for her fellow residents and asked if Prosper could provide informational seminars about self-awareness, mindfulness, mental well-being, etc.… and I sat there with my jaw on the floor.

First, I admittedly felt bad that this was not something we had thought about before this conversation. Our core values are to make life fun, make the community a home, and deliver purpose to everyone. This perfectly aligns with all three of our core values and given the stress that the pandemic has been causing, why hadn’t we developed a program to help residents cope with the stress of it all. As a company, we were hyper focused on the staff but failed to think of the resident’s mental health, too. Of course, we care about their mental well-being but in the past, it was about having the right activities, events, clubs, and full spectrum of programing to allow them to be happy, feel home, and find purpose. But we failed to provide support and expertise to our residents around how they might be thinking and feeling.

Ask and You Shall Receive…

It was that same day, that a higher power was looking out for Sister Chris when I went to a networking event and struck conversation with an organization that has been working with residents around mental well-being. I am glad to say, in October we will have our first seminar for residents to better understand their thoughts and feelings when so many factors are currently at play that impact our lives but are completely out of our control. Thank you, Sister Chris, for pushing me to be the best operator I can for our residents.

What is Assisted Living?

If you search, “What is assisted living?”, you get a list of websites that tell us the technical definition. Per the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living, “Assisted living is part of a continuum of long-term care services that provides a combination of housing, personal care services, and health care designed to respond to individuals who need assistance with normal daily activities in a way that promotes maximum independence.” If we walk down the street, and ask someone at random the same question, they will likely say, “it’s a nursing home”.

It is no wonder we have an increasingly ageing population that refuses to leave their home for the benefits of an assisted living setting. And with the cost of home healthcare, the burden of caretaking for these people ends up being close friends and family. What I have experienced is that the further a person is allowed to struggle in their home setting, the harder it is to get them the outside help they need and eventually move into a long-term care community. That is why, I define it differently.

First, what is not.

Assisted living is NOT a nursing home. Nursing homes are so critical in our healthcare system and provide so much value to patients. But that is exactly what it caters to, patients. Patient is defined as a person receiving or registered to receive medical treatment. Assisted living communities cater to RESIDENTS. Not all residents in a community will require care. There are a vast majority of residents that can perform all activities of daily living and are just there for the perks of living in a fun and engaging communal setting.

Secondly, what is.

Assisted living IS a place for older adults to have fun! In our communities, our events and activities provide the residents with a ton of fun and enjoyment. Live music, restaurant outings, shopping trips, BBQ cookouts… we have fun! The staff and the residents partake together and form a family bond inside the community. That leads me to our next definition.

Assisted living IS where our residents call home. The residents make their apartments into their personal settings while the staff make the communal spaces as homely as possible. A home is defined as a place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household. The staff and residents form very strong bonds that truly make assisted living a home.

And finally, assisted living IS a place for older adults to find purpose. The communities are setup to deliver purpose to the residents. Understanding who each resident was and finding ways for that resident to be who they are, delivers purpose. Many assisted living communities have clubs, committees, and councils tailored to meet a group of resident’s psychological needs and deliver purpose.

One of the hardest things to witness is when someone moves into a community too late. This happens when people move in when they NEED care and cannot partake in all the community has to offer. This often leads to quick transitions into skilled nursing settings. My advice is to move while you can still have fun! Assisted living is for the active older adults who want to have fun, feel home, and have purpose.

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