Deciding when to move away from the comfort of home and into assisted living is challenging for anyone. It’s a choice that isn’t made lightly as there are a lot of factors to consider, like whether you need a specific type of care, how far from home you’re willing to look, and/or what is within your budget. Contrary to popular belief, assisted living facilities often make their best effort to preserve residents’ independence. Care varies depending on each individual’s needs of course, but typically assisted living facilities offer personal care assistance, meals, medication management, transportation, planned activities, and more. If you’re in the Colorado-area, Colorado Assisted Living is a wonderful facility that provides loving care for seniors living in or near Centennial and Littleton, Colorado.
It’s inevitable that there comes a time in every senior’s life when living alone just isn’t the best — or safest — option. It can be tough to determine exactly when that time has come, so in the 1960s a doctor named Sidney Katz developed a system for measuring an individual’s ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs.) Those activities include bathing, dressing, going to the bathroom, getting in and out of bed, controlling bowels, and feeding. To evaluate the level of care needed, each of the six categories are scored with either a one or a zero. A one is assigned if the individual is able to complete the task on their own and a zero if not. The lower the score, the more care they will need and vice versa. Sometimes assisted living employees will ask caregivers about ADLs to determine whether their facility will be able to meet that particular individual’s needs.
In addition to ADLs, here are a few other signs that may indicate that it’s time to make the move to assisted living:
- Declining medical conditions
- A recent accidents or close call
- Financial irresponsibility
- Isolation
- Uncharacteristic messiness
- Poor hygiene
- Aggression
- Wandering
- Dangerous driving
- Forgetting to take medications (including the right dosages at the right time)
Whether you’ll be the one moving or you’re a loved one looking to assist in the transition, it’s never easy. Until you make the move though, double check that there is a plan in place in case of an emergency. After that, focusing on the positives throughout the entire process will help make it better for everyone.