Decision Guide: Is it time for Assisted Living?

Simply said, it is time to move to Assisted Living when the transition will alleviate the strain of either the senior’s life or the family caregiver’s.

Assisted Living is your best option if your parent or partner needs more personal care than he/she could get (or afford) in the house or in an Independent Living community, yet does not require 24-hour medical care and oversight. Consider these additional determinants:

Safety

  • Any recent drops?
  • Driving accidents?
  • Bruises or cuts he/she does not want you to notice?
  • Prone to wander?
  • Leaving the stove-top on?

Health

  • Struggling with failing vision?
  • Poor equilibrium?
  • Forgetfulness?

Hygiene

  • Wearing the same clothes daily?
  • Struggling with private bathing and toileting?

Housekeeping

  • Dishes not getting washed?
  • Home appearing less tidy and much more cluttered?
  • Unopened email gathering?

Dietary

  • Losing weight?
  • Spoiled or no food in the fridge?
  • Struggling to get into the grocery store?

Social

  • Calling/seeing friends rarely?
  • Alone more frequently than not?
  • No longer attending church or other routine social activities?

Is it Alzheimer’s?

Changes in cognitive skills, executive function, and behavior could signal the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease. But some of these very same symptoms are also indicative of different forms of dementia. While just a neurologist can make a diagnosis, the following can be warning signs:

  • Difficulty with familiar tasks
  • Slipping competence
  • Language issues
  • Confusion of time and place
  • Lack of judgment
  • Trouble with abstract thinking
  • Misplacing and concealing objects
  • Mood fluctuations
  • Changes in character
  • Lack of initiative