Intro to Assisted Living

A lot of people think assisted living is the same as a nursing home.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Many nursing homes tend to be a dreary place because the people living there are patients who need regular care and have limited mobility.  People in an assisted living facility are referred to as residents and treated as such.

A resident in assisted living has their own room or sometimes a shared room.  Newer facilities are constructed similar to a hotel environment.  The rooms are generally smaller than the average apartment but there are numerous common areas like in a hotel.  Older facilities may be a converted house with more of a group home feel. 

Residents are encourage to get out and socialize in the common areas and are usually required to have their meals in the dining room.  There are activities throughout the day to entertain and stimulate the mind.  My mother's facility even had happy hour 6 days a week with soft drinks, wine and beer.  Those folks sure loved that boxed wine!

A good facility will bring in entertainers on a regular basis.   At my mother's facility the lobby and other rooms would be absolutely packed when a popular entertainer was performing.  Sometimes my mother had to be forced to go these events but she always said how wonderful it was after she went.

Many facilities will provide transportation to doctor appointments and shopping on a weekly basis.  The good ones will also schedule field trips to get the residents out in the world.   They might go to a local concert, go sightseeing or, in some cases, plan a trip to the beach and allow the residents to put their toes in the ocean. 

I'll have a lot more to say about assisted living but I am a huge advocate of such facilities.  My mother resisted moving out of her home but after a short time in her new home, she was so glad she made the move.  In talking with other residents at her assisted living facility, I think at least 90 percent adjusted well to their new surroundings and decided it was a lot more fun that living alone.