Your parents have worried about your well-being your whole life. They’ve bandaged your scrapes, talked through emotional hardships, and given you sound advice for your future. They’ve always worried about you, but recently you’ve been more worried about them.
Assisted living can be the answer you are looking for. It can lessen the worry and replace it with joy. By aligning professional care in an environment where they gain opportunities such as social interaction, mental stimulation and lots more, you can feel confident you are doing what is best for them, just as they have done for you.
Why You Need to Stop Worrying
By aligning care or a living arrangement that allows you to let go of worry, you can better maintain your own physical, social and emotional health. Don’t underestimate how stress can take a toll on you.
If you worry too much about your parent’s care, you may experience these symptoms:
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Stomach upset
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Lack of motivation
- Chest pain
- Muscle tension
- Irritability or anger
It is important to relax to prevent these symptoms from interfering with your life. It is not productive for your, your parent or your own family. When people are under too much stress, their relationships often begin to suffer.
Assisted living can ease some of that stress. With around-the-clock staff, you can rest easy knowing that your parent will be cared for in an instant. With assisted living, you know that you are giving your parent the best care possible, which should give you peace of mind and less stress.
What You Can Expect of Assisted Living
Dedicated staff members are available around the clock to offer support, answer questions, interact with residents, and generally be there for them.
You know that there will be others around to ensure that your loved one will take their medication, eat nutritious meals, maintain their personal hygiene and enjoy having their living space cleaned for them. Campuses have varying levels of care that you can choose to cater to your loved one’s wants and needs.
Instead of you doing these tasks when you “visit” your parent’s home, these tasks are already done and you can now truly visit. Enjoy a cup of coffee or go for a walk together.
Going Beyond Assisted Living
Every assisted living campus is a little different, so when you make visits and take tours, make sure you talk to the staff and residents. Participate in an activity or event.
Along with finding the right care, take into consideration whether the people, culture and environment of the community fit your parent and your family. You want there to be a bond of trust and respect.
When you’ve found the right fit, the worry just melts away. You know that your parent is not just being cared for -- you can feel that your parent is cared about.
