Choosing a Top Quality Nursing Home

Choosing a Top Quality Nursing Home

The Importance Of Community When Choosing An Assisted Living Community

by Tony Grant

Many people understand the importance of assisted living for loved ones who have complex medical issues. The more challenges a person faces, the more important assistance in daily living becomes. Medical care and staffing are critically important concerns when choosing an assisted living for yourself or a loved one in need of care. It is equally important to consider the community itself. These are a few key reasons why.

Social Connections Improve Health Among the Aging

Humans are social creatures. As the world has become increasingly technocentric, the idea of neighborhoods has become a casualty of progress. Neighbors no longer get to know one another and look after each other the way they did in the past. However, there is much more to it than having a community of people looking after you. Socially active aging adults experience significantly less (70 percent) social decline than those who engage in little social activity.

The benefits extend to other aspects of health and wellness, too. In addition to the cognitive benefits, those who are more socially active experience 43 percent less disability than those who are not.

These statistics do not include the depression that stems from loneliness among aging adults who live alone. Fortunately, the right assisted living community can be instrumental in fostering social activity among residents. That means the people living in these types of communities may experience a reduced risk of cognitive impairments, physical disabilities, and depression.

Identifying Assisted Living Communities that Focus on Building Communities

While "community" isn't something you can see on a web page, there are indicators you can look for when exploring your options from home. An assisted living community that seeks to build a strong community for its residents will offer some or all of the following types of activities.

  • Small group gathering spaces.
  • Calendars of events.
  • Regularly scheduled social activities.
  • A resident-led community board to plan and schedule special activities and events.
  • Planned outings and excursions.
  • A social director on staff who works with the residents.

Of course, the best test of the type of community an assisted living facility offers is to visit several options. While there, pay attention to interactions among residents. Not only with members of the staff, but with other residents.

The best assisted living communities today are all about creating an atmosphere of community while providing the assistance and medical care residents require to maintain robust and healthy lives. Choose the assisted living community for yourself or a cherished loved one with that in mind.


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About Me

Choosing a Top Quality Nursing Home

When you're facing putting your loved one into a nursing home or assisted living facility, you want to make the best possible choice for your loved one. That can be difficult when you don't know much about the nursing homes in your area, or about what you should be looking for in a nursing home to begin with. It's a good idea to tour as many facilities in your area as possible to get an idea of which ones you like, but you still need to know what the signs of a good or bad nursing home are. I used to work as a kitchen assistant in long term care facilities, and I learned a lot about them during that time. I started this blog to share some of my insights into what makes a nursing home great, and how to spot problems in a facility that you're considering.

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