What’s In Your Loved One’s Fridge and More Could Be Signs It’s Time for Assisted Living

December 15, 2015 by ·

Assisted Living in Citronelle AL

Maybe you have gotten in the habit of calling your dad once or twice a week to check in and see how he is doing. Since your mom passed, you have been worried about your dad being all alone in Assisted-Living-Citronelle-ALthat big house. If you call and ask, he will say that he is fine. What you found in the fridge one day as well as some other things around the house would indicate just the opposite. These findings could very well be a sign that it is time for your loved one to consider assisted living.

You never really took it upon yourself to look in your dad’s refrigerator on previous visits but this last time, you noticed he was looking rather thin and frail. You asked if he was eating ok and he said yes. You told him that you were going to the grocery store and would pick up a few things for him.

Upon opening the fridge, your eyes couldn’t believe what they were seeing. You had no idea how bad things really were up until this point. What food was in there was either mostly expired, had mold growing on it, or wasn’t very nutritious. The freezer contained a few processed frozen dinners.

Further inspection of the house revealed more heartache. Dirty clothes were thrown on the floor in the closet and around the bedroom. It was obvious he wasn’t keeping up with the laundry or other household chores.

After going to the grocery store and stocking his fridge with some healthy foods, you decided to stay and make dinner at his house. This also provided the opportunity to sit down and have a serious conversation about his health and well-being.

Bringing up the topic of moving into an assisted living facility isn’t always an easy matter. However, when you confronted your dad about the issues you had recently discovered, he just replied, “your mom always did the cooking or the laundry.” It was clear he wasn’t capable of doing these tasks on his own nor did he have a desire to do so.

Moving to an assisted living facility would be extremely beneficial for an aging senior who can no longer keep up with all the responsibilities that go with remaining at home on their home. Assisted living allows the senior to remain somewhat independent and receive help in the areas they need.

Most of these assisted living facilities have places seniors can go and get healthy meals if they don’t like or want to cook for themselves. They also don’t have to worry about yard work or other maintenance that they would if they were living at home.

After gathering as much information as she could and explaining all the benefits of assisted living to her dad, he agreed that this would be the best move for him.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Assisted Living near Citronelle, AL, contact Ashbury Manor Specialty Care and Assisted Living at 251-317-3017.

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About Cindy Johnson

Ashbury Manor’s Administrator since 2008, Cindy Johnson is a long-time expert in the assisted living field. Prior to her arrival at Ashbury Manor, Cindy managed acquisitions and crisis management for existing and new larger senior care project developments for eleven years. As regional manager for an Oregon-based assisted living management company, Cindy was directly responsible for operations for five 50-65 bed assisted living facilities. As manager during the transition to new ownership, Cindy reorganized internal operations and conducted leadership training for Executive Directors. As a result of her management and expertise, one of the company’s facilities (in Ocala, Florida) received a deficiency-free survey, resulting in the lifting of a moratorium on operation.

A nurse for 36 years, senior care has always been Cindy’s passion. Desiring to work more closely with residents, Cindy became a Category II Administrator in 2005. As Ashbury Manor’s Administrator, Cindy understands the complexities associated with dementia and cognitive impairment and she has fallen in love with seniors with dementia or cognitive impairment and their families.

Cindy is Treasurer of the local “Senior Coalition” chapter. She enjoys mentoring new candidates who want to become administrators.

As a 16-bed facility, with Cindy's training and experience, our residents and their families can be sure Ashbury Manor’s carefully selected staff provides the expertise of a larger facility while maintaining the individualized personal care of a small special needs home.
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