Friday, April 29, 2011

Why Choose Assisted Living And Why Facilities Provide That Assistance

By Adriana Noton


For many it is hard to face the reality that a loved one may not be able to care for themselves on a day to day basis any longer. It may be a parent or grandparent that needs a special kind of attention. Many of their children and grandchildren would like to take them into their own homes and care for them but may not have the facilities to do so or special training needed. Unfortunately, many who need assisted living are without any close family or friends that could care for them. However, modern assisted living facilities(ALFs) may be the answer.

The assisted living facilities (ALFs) provide specially trained individuals that can assist the unable with activities of daily life, or ADLs. While these type of facilities are usually populated by the elderly, people with certain disabilities can also take advantage of this service. Activities of daily life include: eating, taking medication, bathing dressing-all of which can be assisted or supervised with at ALFs.

Usually a typical resident in an ALF will have the need for assistance in 3 ADLs. It is a sensitive state which is somewhere in between intensive care needs and independent living. However, ALFs offer a much less confined and more social atmosphere for those who still relish this. This interaction with fellow patients and residents is most often the largest attraction for those in search of care.

By the numbers, most ALF residents are just under 87 years old and will stay in the facility for an average of 28.6 year until they are deceased. Women outnumber men in these residences by a three to one margin. Most residents are widowed while some may still have spouses and significant others still living.

The social environment that is kept while living in assisted living facilities is what many find the most attractive about the situation. Large areas for eating, meeting and watching TV are provided so that the population can still converse and mingle with others which helps to minimize the amount of solitude many elderly people feel. This is a huge difference from intensive care units where patients are kept bedridden and monitored throughout a majority of their days there.

And there is no need for them to worry about preparing meals or getting fed. Meals are prepared fresh, three times a day at ALFs. They are usually served in large communal dining areas for the residents to mingle and converse with friends.

Modern ALFs provide their residents with their own apartment. While basic daily needs are provided for like meals, laundry, waste removal and sheet changes a person can still feels as independent as they were. There is usually no special monitoring equipment like that which would be found in nursing homes.

The mentally ill, such as people with several different levels of dementia up to full blown Alzheimer's disease can also stay at certain specialized Assisted Living New York facilities. Other types of mentally challenged residents are also offered care as long as they pose no serious threat of harm to themselves or others.




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