Part 1 – Maintaining & Restoring Relationships
Making the decision to move to assisted living is one of the biggest decisions a family or individual will ever make in their lifetime. It is not uncommon for families and loved ones to attempt to provide assistance in the home for their loved one once it is recognized that help is needed. For some families, this is a good option, and becomes a long-term solution in that situation. However, for most, it becomes obvious either very quickly or over time, as someone’s condition begins to deteriorate, that their loved one requires more care than the support system is able to provide. This is often when the conversation tends to lead to discussions about in-home care or a move to a residential care facility.
Once the decision has been made, it is a beautiful transformation for family, loved ones, and healthcare professionals to witness as someone who was struggling prior to moving to a facility, begins to thrive as they benefit from their needs being better met in a facility. Physicians involved in the care of elderly patients tend to agree and encourage families to help their loved one come to that decision ahead of time. Brent Schow, Nurse Practitioner, for Connected Primary and Palliative Care, shares his experience in working with assisted living facilities and witnessing this improvement in his patients first hand. He explains, “My experience with assisted living facilities has been a really positive experience. I feel like once residents reach a certain point in their needs, when their families begin to care for them, they should go to an assisted living facility to have those cares met so that the patient can continue to be their family member, and not a patient to them.”
Helping individuals maintain their relationship as a mother, father, son, daughter, grandchild, friend, or sibling is one of the main goals of assisted living and memory care homes. Removing the primary caregiver role from any of those types of relationships, allows for more meaningful quality time spent together, and improved relations between a resident and their support system. Families no longer have to worry about their loved one being home alone in distress, or arranging their schedule accordingly to ensure that support is available for the person in need around the clock. Families who have provided care in the home often report that one of the greatest blessings that results from moving their loved one into a facility is that it gives them the chance to restore their relationship with their family member, as they no longer feel the need to fill the role of caregiver. Seeing their loved one begin to live again and having peace of mind are other positive results expressed by families and friends of residents.
Watch for Part 2 of this particular blog which will describe how moving to assisted living can improve the quality of life for the individual in need of assistance. For more information about this topic, and other assisted living and memory care questions, you can reach us at 208.357.3323.
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