Give Respite Care a Try at Assisted Living This Fall

Have you ever heard about respite care at assisted living? If not, it is definitely something to look into if you or somebody you love would benefit from 24 hour support in a safe and comfortable environment.

Most people have only a very basic idea of what assisted living is, at most. Many of those ideas are often misconceptions, confused with other types of elder care. When you don’t have the right idea about something, it’s easy to dismiss it. So, what is respite care?

Respite Care is a Short-Term Option

When people think about assisted living, they often consider it to be a permanent solution, a long-term commitment rather than a short-term option. At its essence, yes, that’s basically what it is, but for facilities that offer respite care options, that short-term stay could do wonders to help convince those who would otherwise dismiss it outright.

Each facility is different, so it’s important not to get confused and assume they are all the same. Some long-term assisted living communities will provide an option for overnight stays. In other words, a senior can be dropped off in the evening, enjoy a nice meal with good company, spend the night in a safe, private or shared room, and then be picked up to return home to their primary residence in the morning.

A different facility might offer the option for seniors to spend a few days each week at their facility. It could be daytime activities, overnight stays, day and night, several days in a row, or some other combination. Still, a different facility may offer one, two, or more weeks of respite care options.

Why Consider Assisted Living

This is a time of change. It’s when children head back to school, most summer vacations are well in the past, and people are looking to the end of the year holidays, the new year coming up, and that often brings about thoughts of major changes in life.

It is also a time when the weather begins to turn. What were once nice and enjoyable days and evenings could become bitterly cold fast. Winter weather can make itself known in some regions of the country as early as September or October.

For aging seniors who may have difficulty with Activities of Daily Life (ADLs), those challenges become exacerbated the more health and physical limitations and challenges they face. That’s why autumn is a great time to help somebody learn everything there is about assisted living.

Talking to a Loved One About Trying Assisted Living

You can’t force them, but you can learn as much as possible about assisted living from a local community. Take a tour, speak to an administrator, and find out what types of respite care options they provide, if any.

When you find one that does provide respite care options, the senior may be more willing to give it a try because it isn’t a long-term or permanent commitment, but rather something to try for now. Usually, though, once people ‘try’ assisted living this way, they move in for good before long.

If you or an aging loved one are considering a move to Assisted Living in Pascagoula, AL, contact Ashbury Manor Specialty Care and Assisted Living at 251-317-3017.