Spectrum of Care – Senior Living Options
When considering a new place to live, it is important to ask whether the new community provides the services and support needed to age in place. This is especially important for someone living with dementia because changing environments and having to move into new communities can be very challenging and disruptive. So, what is “aging in place”? If a person is able to age in place, that a person is able to live in the residence of their choice for as long as they are able, including being able to have the services and support that they need over time as their needs change.
Some communities have specific qualifications that a person must meet in order to be able to live it that community. When looking at senior living in Atlanta, make sure to ask what admissions criteria they have and what the extent of services and support they provide in order to help people age in place.
Understand Your Needs
Some abilities that may determine whether you or your loved one can remain in a community include:
- The physical ability to move independently, is the person ambulatory?
- Can the staff assist the resident in transferring from a sitting or reclining position?
- Is the person capable of self-preservation with minimal assistance?
- Does the person need continuous medical care?
- What are the limitations of the medical services of the community and is it permitted to bring additional private care?
- Does the staff support activities of daily living?
Daily Living Activities
Examples of daily living activities include:
- Bathing
- Shaving
- Brushing teeth
- Combing hair
- Toileting
- Dressing
- Eating
- Laundering
- Cleaning private living space
- Managing money
- Writing letters
- Shopping
- Using public transportation
- Making telephone calls
- Grooming
- Obtaining appointments
- Engaging in leisure, recreational or other activities
If you or your loved one requires additional support in any of these activities of daily living, it will be important to determine what the priority and goal is that you have.
Different Types of Senior Living Options
There are a variety of senior living options that are based on the type of support that someone requires:
- Health promotion
- Curative
- Restorative
- Maintenance
- Compensatory
- Palliative
Additional Support Considerations
A community that provides the support required to help someone regain some degree of function or ability may include:
- Rehab
- Special equipment
- May be a temporary stay
Senior Living & Maintaining Your Current Abilities
If you are looking for senior living in Atlanta that provides the ability to maintain your current abilities you will want to ask how the staff provides the following:
- Specialized staff
- Staff training
- Consistency in staff
- Services and how they support current abilities
- What happens if my abilities change?
Senior Living & Support For Limited Abilities
Perhaps you need a community that supports limited abilities, in that case you would want to ask how the staff provides and supports:
- A consistent environment
- A consistent routine
- What support is provided
- How the staff is trained
- What is the communication process of staff with family?
- What happens when abilities change and more support is needed?
- How assesses these changes?
- How often are abilities checked?
When someone is at end of life, palliative or hospice care might be an option. One of your next articles will address the differences between palliative care and hospice. Orchard at Brookhaven is a new senior living community in Atlanta that is focused on providing the best option for you. Our staff is highly trained and will work with you to provide the support you need.
