The search for senior living accommodation can often require a person to make some crucial decisions – these are matters of a person’s health and wellbeing. If you or someone in your life needs answers, the pressure to answer them correctly can be challenging.
Doing research and asking questions when deciding on a suitable residence for senior living, such as Seasons Retirement, can help them make informed decisions.
The most common type of senior housing is the retirement home. These can be senior living apartments (often independent apartments) or communities with multiple buildings. A retirement home is a type of residence for the older adult looking for a lively place to call home. It focuses on independent living, allowing residents privacy and autonomy while also providing checkups, meals, and necessary medication.
Retirement homes like Seasons Retirement Communities offer residents opportunities for a fun, active lifestyle while providing the option of care services.
On the other hand, nursing homes are similar to retirement homes except with far more focused, hands-on caregivers. Nursing homes are intended for older adults who have health conditions and require a place for extended medical stays.
Beyond retirement homes and nursing homes, there are assisted living apartments. Assisted living apartments are for older adults who need a helping hand in taking care of themselves. That means that while residents can expect to have their own private living space from other residents, they will still have caregivers who go into that living space to help them with whatever tasks they need.
Seasons Retirement Communities in Ontario also offer assisted living packages to provide residents with any additional assistance and care needed daily.
When choosing the best kind of alternative living arrangement for yourself or a loved one, the most critical factor to consider is whether the individual can take care of themselves. The consensus in nursing is that there are five activities to daily life a person has to perform.
The first two are bathing and dressing. The third standard of self-care is using the bathroom independently. The next two go hand in hand, and those are taking care of one’s living space and leaving the house.
If an individual can do all five of these things, then independent living is best suited for them. However, they should still live somewhere they can get easy access to medical care. Medical care for an older adult that is fully capable includes everything from medications for their ailments, physical therapy for their difficulties, and checkups from their doctor.
While there will undoubtedly be doctors and nurses on staff, not everyone at a nursing home, retirement home, or assisted living community will be a doctor or nurse. Unfortunately, some people may worry that this means they are being left in unprofessional hands. That could not be further from the truth.
There will be many different kinds of professionals working at these locations. The most important is the medical staff. All senior housing locations will have pharmacists. Whether for the heart, the digestive tract, or supplementing their diet, the pharmacist is the lynchpin that all the other departments revolve around.
Even if the number of residents with medication needs is low, a pharmacist still needs to organize the dosage and delivery of drugs to the residents. This is just another regular task that residents do not need to worry about.
For this same reason, these residences will also have at least one physical therapist on staff. Similar to the pharmacist, it does not matter if the location has one resident in need of physical therapy or one hundred: a physical therapist is necessary not just for performing physical therapy, but for analyzing the physical needs of the residents and providing insight into how we can adjust other departments to meet residents’ needs.
There will also be nutritionists who look after the residents’ diets working alongside chefs who will prepare meals that are considerate to the dietary needs and preferences of the residents. And, of course, there will be personal caretakers who will keep the residents’ spaces in order.
If you seek a top-quality retirement residence, visit Seasons Retirement for everything you need to know to make the right decision for yourself or a loved one. You can find “senior residences near me,” whether you live in Ontario or Alberta.