I know its not exactly health and wellbeing, but when I think of the level of stress I felt when trying to organise care for my elderly mum, perhaps caring for our elderly relatives should be high priority for our own wellbeing needs
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Assisted senior living facilities are one of the most popular choices for older adults who can no longer cope with living in their own homes and, more specifically, either can’t or simply don’t want to waste a large proportion of their day on household chores and maintenance.
With this in mind, here are the four main benefits of moving to an assisted living community and how your life could drastically and positively change as a result.
1. A Higher Level of Physical Activity
As you become older and especially after you retire, it can often be typical to engage in little to no physical exercise on an average day, and moreover, you may even spend the majority of your day sitting on the couch.
Making the decision to move to a prominent senior living community will result in exposure to a wide range of different kinds of classes and groups that encourage residents to try new and interesting ways of exercising.
From the more relaxing chair aerobics to gardening in the community allotment, there’s always an emphasis placed on physical exercise in assisted living facilities.
2. A Sense of Belonging
Living at home, particularly if you live alone, can sometimes be a lonely and even entirely isolating experience, and as such, one of the most important benefits of senior living communities for you could be the sense of belonging you’d quickly develop.
Reputable assisted living in Chicago not only work hard to design an ever-changing activities and social schedule, packed full of entertainment of the evening and social groups in the day, but residents report the fast development of friendships that last a lifetime.
As loneliness and social isolation are both a huge and ever-growing problem for older people and the elderly, the fact that there’s such an emphasis on socializing at assisted living communities is one of the biggest benefits.
3. Help with Daily Living
It may well be the case that you’re more than capable and indeed, willing, to continue to look after your apartment or bungalow in the context of cleaning and general household maintenance.
However, as a resident of an established assisted living facility, you’ll be offered the option of simply just being responsible for the tasks that you’re happy and content with and having the other responsibilities taken care of for you.
4. Peace of Mind for Your Family
The fourth and final big advantage of making the move to an assisted living community, or indeed any kind of senior living facility, is that not only you will be able to foster more positive and happy relationships between yourself and your family and friends, but that they will also benefit from peace of mind.
Most assisted living communities have an open-door policy for visiting family and friends, and moreover, they often encourage group activities, such as dinner parties and movie nights, where you and the other residents can enjoy an evening or a whole day with family.
Editors Note: When you are considering this type of accommodation, do your due diligence around being able to sell afterwards, and ensure that you won’t be left committed to monthly charges if your relative dies.