Being a family caregiver is far from easy. Juggling your parent or loved one’s care with other responsibilities like your children, daily responsibilities of life and maintaining friendships and a social life can be challenging to manage or feel both exhausting and isolating.
For many family caregivers, feelings of worry, guilt and conflict are common, too. You might feel your loved one is unsafe in their own home and wish you could give them 24-hour care, but be unable to do so due to other commitments.
These feelings are common, but it’s important to recognize you are not at fault or to blame. Many family caregivers have felt the same way you do coupled with feelings of overwhelm. If your loved one’s care needs are increasing, and it’s becoming more difficult to balance your responsibilities, it might be time to start thinking about the supportive care you and your loved one need such as that provided by residential assisted living in AZ.
Though many seniors and family caregivers are initially resistant to the idea of assisted living in Tucson, it can often serve as the perfect solution for the health and happiness of both yourself and your aging loved one.
Let’s look at just a few ways a special type of care offered by residential assisted living homes can provide you with the peace of mind you need.
Hassle-Free, Healthy Living
With everything in one place, your relative can enjoy the life they love without having to tackle things like public transportation, grocery shopping or cooking. As a family caregiver for a loved one who can’t get out and about as they once were, the thought of them relying on you for all meals and supplies may feel daunting.
By making the move to residential assisted living, you can rest easy knowing your loved one has everything they need to live the healthy life they deserve. Most residential assisted living facilities offer a dedicated Chef who prepares three nutritionally balanced meals plus snacks daily, so you can rest assured your loved one is receiving the nutrition they need.
Additionally, your loved one will also benefit from housekeeping and laundry services allowing them to relax and live well in a healthy, clean environment each day.
Attentive Care and High Staff to Resident Ratios
As a family caregiver with a loved one who lives at home, it’s common to worry about them being alone. However, as much as you wish you could be, it’s rarely possible to be by your parent or loved one’s side 24/7.
Unfortunately, this might mean you’ve found yourself constantly fretting about your loved one’s health and safety. Perhaps they’re not as mobile as they once were, or have stairs in the house that aren’t easy to navigate with reducing mobility.
When your loved one moves to a residential assisted living community, you can sleep easy at night knowing they’re safe and protected at all hours. Most assisted living facilities have first aid trained staff on-site 24/7 to deal with emergencies and accidents. In addition to emergency call bells and room checks, many also offer personal care during the night to increase comfort and reduce the risk of falls.
In senior care, time, patience, and attention to detail are paramount, which is why many residential assisted living homes boast exceptionally high staff to resident ratios. This means caregivers have all the time needed to produce and implement the highly personalized care plan your loved one deserves.
Safety and Security
If your parent or loved one is living in the same home they have been in for many years, it may not be the ideal environment for a senior with reduced mobility. As well as struggling with flights of stairs, they might be unable to take a bath or shower unassisted, or find themselves unable to reach high cupboards or shelves like they used to.
Knowing that a relative is no longer able to navigate their home with ease is a common concern for family caregivers. With your loved one enjoying their retirement in residential assisted living, you can say goodbye to sleepless nights worrying whether they’re safe and secure in their home.
Residential assisted living facilities like Saguaro Ranch Luxury Assisted Living are carefully planned and designed to support independence, safety, and accessibility for seniors with a diverse range of mobility needs. Not only does this vastly reduce the risk of falls, but it also provides an empowering environment – one that allows them to live as independently as possible.
Great security is another clear advantage of residential assisted living. Many facilities have secured entrance points to prevent both unauthorized access and seniors with dementia from wandering out and into harm’s way.
Reduced Loneliness and Boredom
If your loved one lives alone and you can’t be with them all the time, it’s not uncommon to worry about them feeling lonely or isolated. If they have recently lost a spouse or close friends, this might be even more of a concern.
Moving your loved one into a residential assisted living community they love will grant you and them with the peace of mind that they’re able to socialize easily and when they please. Most assisted living communities offer a range of on-site physical, social and recreational activities to promote intellectual stimulation and socialization.
The loss of close friends and family members is a common struggle for seniors and moving to a new community can help them forge strong new friendships with both their neighbors and caregivers.
Grant Yourself the Gift of Time
It’s ok to admit that you need a little support in caring for your aging loved one. You deserve to have time to enjoy your own social life, family and career free from guilt or worry. If you’re finding it more difficult to take care of your loved one, residential assisted living could be the perfect solution for the both of you.
