FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Littleton, CO, February 13, 2023— As an adult child or a spouse, you may be hesitant or unsure about how to discuss the topic of assisted living with a loved one. Family caregivers experience tremendous guilt when considering moving aging parents or spouses out of the family home to an assisted living or memory care community.
It is common for family caregivers to become emotionally or physically burned out and exhausted after weeks, months, or years of caregiving responsibilities. Feeling weary results from focusing on caregiving activities to the exclusion of other parts of life. Not paying attention to health, well-being, personal relationships, work or a career, pursuing education and doing things you love eventually catches up to pose negative consequences.
Some caregivers become so worn down and emotionally distraught that they become sick. While at the same time, aging parents or spouses need more and more of the caregiver’s time.
How to Talk to Loved Ones About Moving
Rather than waiting until an unexpected illness or health crisis occurs that forces decision-making, why not make a plan today to talk about the benefits of assisted living care? Maybe you attempted to talk with elderly parents or a spouse about moving to assisted living in Littleton and the conversation didn’t go the way you hoped, here are a few suggestions:
- Do your research. Visit a Lighthouse Assisted Living location near you to meet the staff, learn about the services offered and the care rates so that you can begin a fully-informed conversation with a parent.
- Be honest in telling loved ones that you know you are not doing the best job as a caregiver and that it’s time to look at other ways for them to receive support.
- Set firm boundaries about the time and type of assistance you can provide. Many caregivers work full-time jobs and care for loved ones twenty or more hours a week. This time commitment and lifestyle can be unrealistic as more and more care is needed.
- If you are a spousal caregiver, thinking about living apart from a husband or wife may feel uncomfortable. Be realistic about your ability to care for a husband or wife and take care of your health. Who will care for your spouse if you become sick?
- Recognize that any type of change—like moving to a care community—may be scary for family members who may have lived in the same home for a long period of time.
- If loved ones are hesitant to move, have repeated conversations to learn about fears or
- objections. Also know that there are situations where memory loss progress to an inability to understand the consequences of needing care. In this case family members must take responsibility for making care decisions that include a move to assisted living.
Caring for loved ones with memory loss, while rewarding can also be challenging. Emotional stress or guilt often prevent caregivers from making care decisions.
Assisted living communities offer the best of both worlds. Your loved one receives care and attention from trained memory care staff, plus the opportunity to participate in daily activities that might not have been available when living at home.
As the caregiver, you can reprioritize your life when others are responsible for daily care activities. Imagine enjoying social visits with mom, dad, or a spouse that don’t involve completing a long list of care tasks.
5 Things That Distinguish Lighthouse Assisted Living
1. All Lighthouse staff are Eden Alternative® trained
Caring for persons with memory loss takes a special touch. All of the care staff at Lighthouse Assisted Living have been trained in Eden Alternative methods of care and approaches to aging.
This commitment by leadership to the ongoing personal development of care staff results in positive interactions with residents and their family members.
Additionally, the Eden Alternative program views aging and memory loss differently by focusing on:
- The identity of each individual
- Connectedness to each other and community
- Security and safety
- Support for values, interests, and abilities
- Meaningful interactions
- Growth and learning
- Joy in daily experiences
Source: https://www.edenalt.org/
2. Possessing a service-first mindset
Management and staff at Lighthouse Assisted Living take an interest in you, know your name, and treat you like family.
The small community setting means that loved ones participate in activities they previously enjoyed at home. Whether a favorite project is outdoor gardening, baking cookies, folding clothes, listening to music, dancing, reading, or participating in craft projects, residents maintain a purpose-filled life. Positive self-esteem grows from daily interactions with other residents and care staff.
Being supportive by using Eden Alternative concepts are a daily priorities care staff. Having a service-first mindset and being purpose-filled allows staff to gain deep satisfaction from seeing residents make the most of each day.
3. Personalized care in a home setting
Too much noise or stimulation can result in frustration for persons with memory loss. As a family caregiver, you may have noticed the effects of too much going on at once if an elderly parent or a spouse becomes agitated, angry, or repeats the same information.
Lighthouse assisted living Littleton CO provides a quiet home environment with the services your loved one needs, including meals, medication reminders, bathing, personal and incontinence care, scheduled activities, and more.
4. Residents never have to leave
Detailed care planning and coordination between visiting medical providers and Lighthouse Assisted Living owner Liz Littleton and her staff ensure beneficial oversight of medical care as memory loss diagnoses advance to end-of-life care needs.
Family members have peace of mind knowing that hospice care, when necessary, is available. This one-of-a-kind attention means that residents can live and age in place.
5. One all-inclusive rate
Most Littleton Colorado assisted living communities offer a monthly base rate plus an additional level of care costs that can quickly add up. Lighthouse management prefers to keep care costs simple by offering an all-inclusive rate evaluated yearly or upon a sudden change in care needs.
Media Contact:
Tom Littleton
Lighthouse Assisted Living
7070 Newland Court Littleton CO 80128
720-344-7217
Originally posted On: https://syndication.cloud/how-to-know-when-its-time-for-assisted-living/
