Part 2 – Improved Wellness for The Resident
Aging adults can experience improved quality of life by taking advantage of the many amenities that facilities have to offer while receiving quality care. As families and friends that make up the support system for these individuals, we want nothing more than to see our loved one thriving and benefiting from these things once the decision to move from their own home to an assisted living facility has been made.
Obvious improvements in the quality of life of an elderly person are typically noticed by families, friends, facility staff, and other professionals involved in their care, almost immediately. Nurse Practitioner, Brian Schow, with Connected Primary and Palliative Care shares, “I’ve seen, over the years, with patients that come into a facility, if I do their initial lab work when they first come in, the levels are usually off by quite a bit. Within two to three months of being in an assisted living facility, normally their labs are back to normal because they are getting good nutrition, good hydration, exercise, medications are being managed by the facility, so they are being taken correctly. Normally we see all those normalize or improve within two to three months of being in an assisted living facility.” Sometimes even the residents themself report how much happier and healthier they feel after transitioning to life in an assisted living home. When someone experiences improved physical health, it becomes the key to increased wellness overall on every level. They have more energy and express a greater desire to live life more fully.
This is the result of many needs being met, including:
- Medication management
- Personalized care provided by facility staff
- Regular nursing assessments help to identify areas of concern quickly
- Improved nutrition and hydration
- Decreased feelings of being overwhelmed with housekeeping and maintaining a home
- Increased socialization
- Increased physical activity
- No longer feeling like a burden
For many assisted living and memory care residents, life in a facility gives them an opportunity to participate in activities more regularly and more safely, than when they were living in their own homes. From an emotional standpoint, residents typically develop close friendships with other seniors residing in the facility and the staff. Those friendships help to provide companionship and comfort. Especially for those who may have been isolated and feeling lonely at home prior to living in a facility. Most facilities utilize social history assessments on residents to help gather helpful information about the individual and their life experiences. Knowledge of a resident’s background and interests becomes a vital tool to caregivers when assisting a resident and helping to improve their quality of life in the facility.
As humans, it is a fact that we function better when we feel healthy, loved, important, connected, and like we have a purpose. By keeping these key elements in mind, and knowing the other contributing factors already mentioned in this article, we can help to create hope for the future for our residents. The possibility of improved quality of life in assisted living can become a reality for those we love.
For more information on this topic and other assisted living or memory care related questions, please call us at 208.357.3323.
