If you are considering assisted living services for a loved one or for yourself, you may have come across some misinformation about assisted living. Many of these fears are based on a lack of understanding about what assisted living entails and the options that you have available to you. In this article, we look at some of these fears about assisted living, and we go ahead to set the record straight.
Fear About Loss of Independence
This is one of the most common fears that people express when they are considering assisted living services for their loved ones. In reality, residents of assisted living communities determine the nature of their stay in such retirement communities. given the fact that different people have different needs when it comes to living assistance, you can determine the level of assistance that you need. Residents are also free to travel and visit friends and relatives. In fact, assisted living community residents enjoy transport as well as concierge services, connecting them to the rest of the world.
Assisted Living Accelerates Aging
This is another myth that has no basis in reality. In fact, the opposite is often true. This is because many of the conditions that affect this demographic are often caused by stress. This stress in turn is caused by an inability to live independently. When you take up assisted living services, most of these stressors are eliminated. Your loved one will be able to enjoy top-notch meals, housekeeping services, and much more. Without these stressors, your loved one is likely to enjoy better health, which ensures that problems such as memory loss are alleviated.
Depending on the level of care that your loved one requires, they are likely to enjoy better health as they can get the round-the-clock care that they need. Assisted living communities can help with medication routines and much more.
Forced Activities
The other prevalent myth about assisted living communities is that your loved one will be forced to participate in various activities. The reality however is that nobody is forced to participate in any events. While assisted living communities organize these events, the choice to participate is always up to the individual. Most assisted living communities will accommodate activities and events that are outside what the community has arranged. This means that you can choose to do the things that you enjoy without any problems.
When you do decide to take part in the group events, you will get to enjoy numerous social benefits including making new friends and learning new skills.
Affordability Fears
While this is a critical consideration, the truth of the matter is that the cost of assisted living is nowhere near what these myths suggest. The first thing to note is that the cost of assisted living varies widely depending on the retirement community you wish to join, the level of care that you need, and so on. This means that you have full control of the budget and you can pick and choose what best suits your needs.
Most assisted living communities will take you through all the cost aspects of their programs. This way, you get to make well-informed decisions. At every point of the way, you will be in control of the process.
