Assisted Living Can Help Family Caregivers Who Are Struggling

December 1, 2023 by ·
Assisted Living Theodore AL

Assisted Living Theodore AL

It’s late at night. You’ve been taking care of your aging mother for months, possibly even years. At first, it was only a little assistance every so often. Perhaps you checked in on her a few days a week. That might have included a phone call to see how she was doing, stopping by to see if she needed anything, taking her to the store a few times a month, and so on.

As the months have transpired, perhaps melding in two years, you are looking after her daily. Some days it may feel like that’s all you do. Whether you have a career, work a couple of part-time jobs to make ends meet, or somewhere in between, being a family caregiver is difficult. Yes, elder care becomes essential, especially as our aging loved ones struggle with health issues, mental challenges, and physical limitations, but that doesn’t mean you have to be the only one doing all the work.

Look to Assisted Living

Most Americans have certain ideas about what assisted living is. Their preconceived notions about this elder care often come from movies, media coverage, or they’re just confusing it with other types of support.

In reality, assisted living is one of the best, most comfortable, and safest forms of elder care there is. Seniors are surrounded by experienced staff members in a safe and warm environment. There may be a number of activities to do weekly. There might be entertainment to enjoy daily. Some assisted living communities have high quality fitness centers on site. Some have four or five star dining restaurants on the grounds that residents can enjoy.

Some facilities provide opportunities for residents to walk the grounds, garden on site, or provide transportation so they can get out to doctors’ appointments, to visit with friends, to go to a local senior center, to enjoy a museum or art gallery, park, mall, or some other points of interest. In other words, many quality assisted living communities today focus on improving quality of life rather than just sustaining it or keeping someone safe.

Approaching This Topic With Your Loved One

Because so many people have misconceptions about various forms of elder care, including assisted living, it might feel difficult to even talk about it with your aging mother.

  • First, be honest and direct.
    • Tell her cirectly that you want to talk about assisted living. She may dismiss you, walk away, or tell you she’s not interested, and that’s okay. At first, you just have to broach the topic.
  • Second, learn what you can about it.
    • Before you can really convince somebody else of something, you have to know plenty about it. Too many people have the wrong idea of assisted living, so when they try to convince an aging parent or other loved one to consider it, they have nothing to go on.
    • Take a tour. Speak with an administrator. Discover exactly what an assisted living community offers.
  • Third, find out if the community offers respite care options.
    • Your aging mother might be able to spend a few days or a week or two at a local, quality assisted living community. This way, she would find out exactly what it’s like, that it isn’t what she thought it was initially, and discover that it truly would be a great way to improve the quality of life and outlook for the future.

If you or an aging loved one are considering a move to Assisted Living in Theodore, 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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