The stress of searching out and finding a great place for your elderly loved one(s) to live can be made worse if you don’t know the common mistakes. You want the best for your loved one, and navigating the tours and Q & A sessions can be significantly disorienting. It can feel a bit like you’re stuck in a foreign country! We are here to help clarify the world of senior living communities and provide peace of mind.
We spend every day running The Heritage, an assisted living center in Hammonton, and that experience has given us some valuable insights into the searching process. There are mistakes that people often make when trying to find a new home in a senior living community, and we want to take some time to lay them out. We hope this will help smooth out your journey!
Don’t Make These Mistakes When Searching for a Senior Living Community
-
Limiting yourself to nursing homes.
- The idea of the elderly always going to nursing homes is outdated. Nowadays, nursing homes are dedicated to people who need advanced levels of care or people going through short-term rehab. Don’t fall into the trap of searching for nursing homes; instead, look for assisted living communities.
-
Failing to meet staff and residents.
- You can’t truly tell if a community will work if you just walk through and look at the prices. Instead, you need to talk to administrators, caregivers, and residents. Your loved one should be part of these meetings, too. You’re looking at a prospective new home for your loved one, and they need to be able to try it on for size. Ask if there’s a chance that your loved one can participate in community activities or events to really get a feel for how they do things.
-
Not knowing the terminology.
- The world of senior living has its own language, and it can be very disorienting at first. Take some time to learn the difference between assisted and independent living as well as other terms unique to the industry. That will help you start your search in a good place and keep it going in the right direction.
-
Basing your decision on internet research.
- Just like when you’re buying a new home, the internet is a good place to start, but it isn’t anything more. You need to visit prospective facilities and experience them just like you would visit a prospective home. A visit will give you the chance to really understand if the community will provide for your loved one’s needs, both physical and emotional.
-
Leaving your loved one out of the decision-making process.
- We saved this one for last because it is the most important. Moving to assisted living should never be a surprise, and it should never be a process that is out of your loved one’s hands. Get your loved one involved, and they will be more invested in the final results. You will have better peace of mind knowing that your loved one is in a good place.
Contact The Heritage Assisted Living
We are here to provide the very best senior living apartments in Hammonton. Learn more about what we offer today!