Helping my Residents to Age in Place in an Assisted Living Facility I’ve been in various aspects of healthcare most of my career being of service to seniors. I have provided guidance to families through the aging in place process usually after they are faced with what to do with Mom or Dad as they are getting older and cannot be left alone. One option is moving into an Assisted Living Facility. The National Age in Place Council says “assisted living is an alternative for people with disabilities who do not require 24-hour medical care, who may be too young for a retirement home, but who require assistance with at least one of the activities of daily living. Assisted living provides supervision/assistance with coordination of service
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I have been in this position since May 2014; I had come from a home care background. My role in this position is to help my residents’ transition to their new living environment: some are transfers from another assisted living community, from an independent living community, or from their own homes. There are varying reasons why my seniors have to move here; perhaps, memory lapses become much more frequent and the stove is left on one time too many, or perhaps the frequency of falls increase. Whatever their reasons, it may not be a seamless transition for them, and I spend hours of my day listening to, consoling and comforting my residents. They are experiencing anxiety, depression, loneliness and sadness, combined with aging. Often, I am invited to their apartments for tea, for conversation, to offer advice or, simply, because they are lonely. Many evenings, because that is when I can sit in my office to do reports, I will hear a knock on my office door and it will be one of residents who have a question, a concern or are just lonely. I serve as a counselor, a friend or someone to fill a void in their lonely …show more content…
These are two situations that are all too real and there are many others! These instances may make all the difference in determining if an aging adult can remain in their home safely and independently. What happens once a senior can no longer to live alone safely but wants to remain in their home? What are the options or resources available that will enable a senior to age in place successfully? During my thirty years in healthcare, I have played a part in these decisions to help and guide the families involved; whether it was helping in selecting a caregiver, from my home care background, to providing care to helping my residents to transition to an assisted living facility. The relationship that I build with my residents and their families, provides me with a sense of fulfillment as I contribute to them aging in
I have been in this position since May 2014; I had come from a home care background. My role in this position is to help my residents’ transition to their new living environment: some are transfers from another assisted living community, from an independent living community, or from their own homes. There are varying reasons why my seniors have to move here; perhaps, memory lapses become much more frequent and the stove is left on one time too many, or perhaps the frequency of falls increase. Whatever their reasons, it may not be a seamless transition for them, and I spend hours of my day listening to, consoling and comforting my residents. They are experiencing anxiety, depression, loneliness and sadness, combined with aging. Often, I am invited to their apartments for tea, for conversation, to offer advice or, simply, because they are lonely. Many evenings, because that is when I can sit in my office to do reports, I will hear a knock on my office door and it will be one of residents who have a question, a concern or are just lonely. I serve as a counselor, a friend or someone to fill a void in their lonely …show more content…
These are two situations that are all too real and there are many others! These instances may make all the difference in determining if an aging adult can remain in their home safely and independently. What happens once a senior can no longer to live alone safely but wants to remain in their home? What are the options or resources available that will enable a senior to age in place successfully? During my thirty years in healthcare, I have played a part in these decisions to help and guide the families involved; whether it was helping in selecting a caregiver, from my home care background, to providing care to helping my residents to transition to an assisted living facility. The relationship that I build with my residents and their families, provides me with a sense of fulfillment as I contribute to them aging in