Our society is quickly growing older. Those baby boomers that we running the country in the 1990’s and early 2000’s are now entering or have reached retirement age. Some are still very active seniors. Others are starting to face medical problems and need to consider choices about their lifestyle as they live out their senior years. One of those options is a senior living center or assisted living center such as Pegasus Senior Living. Not all assisted living facilities are created equal. Many have different features for their residents and the families of those residents. This is why it is important to take time and interview your choices.
Determine What Your Needs Are
Before going to an assisted living facility and taking a tour to find out if it’s the one for you and your loved one, do you research. Search online to find out information such as their policies for visitation times. Also some assisted living centers have private rooms, while others put two residents in a shared room. This may play a significant role in your decision.
What About The Medical Care?
Assisted living facilities feature some type of medical care. The level of the care varies by center. Ask the center you are visiting if they have a doctor or registered nurses on staff at all times. Some centers will have medical aids who then contact a doctor or CRN’s when needed. Other centers are designed to have doctors or CRN’s visit at scheduled times Depending on your needs and your loved one’s needs this is something to weigh heavily.
What Activities Are Offered?
Assisted living facilieis might have some residents that need to remain seated or in bed at all times. This isn’t the case with many seniors, even if they aren’t in the best of health. Those seniors enjoy socializing and meeting other residents of the center.
If there is a common area in the center where residents can gather, ask if there are organized activities. Some centers will drop off a monthly, weekly and daily calender for residents filled with enough activities to make a cruise ship’s entertainment director jealous. Others stress more quiet time and feature fewer activities in the center.
Not all of the activities a centers are done inside the centers. Some assisted living centers will organize activities such as shopping trips or trips to the movies. Some centers will offer quarterly or yearly day trips to locations such as a casino or the beach for a day. These trips may only be offered for individuals that require minimal medical care.
Visit The Assisted Living Center
Assisted living centers will offer tours and opportunities for you to inspect their facilities. Keep in mind that when you make a pre-announced visit to an assisted living facility, they have time to put their best on display. This is why making an unannounced visit is recommended as well.
Choosing your time is important, as you don’t want to visit at a time that will intrude on the current resident’s privacy or care. Times such as early in the morning and close to noon or five o’clock pm are not recommended as these are dining times and shifts frequently change right before or after that. Evenings or late afternoon can be good times to visit as those are the times where residents may be more likely to be out in the common areas.
If your loved one that will be staying at the assisted living facility is with you, ask if she can speak with one of the residents. Having her questions answered by a resident will help her feel the answers are not staged and are honest. This also allows her to see the center through the eye of a contemporary instead of from a marketing standpoint.
Making Your Decision
Choosing what assisted living facility to choose is something that takes time. Ask the individual you meet with about the number of vacancies they have and how long space will remain open. This will allow you to make a decision without feeling pressured.
