As a person ages, the care they require varies. For this reason, there are different communities to support each level of care.
There are many different types of senior living communities to support the elderly as they age. An elderly individual who is healthy and active but needs help remembering to take their medicine and other small tasks requires a very different level of care than an individual who suffers from a mental disability and needs constant care. Because of this reason, there are different communities for various levels of care.
For seniors who do not require care but want to live in a community of people in their age demographic, Active Adult (AA) or senior apartments are an option. These communities have an age restriction such as 55 and older. It is much like any other apartment complex, though some offer a meal a day and have a larger clubhouse or common area where residents can socialize.
The next step of senior living is Independent Living (IL) where seniors can perform day to day tasks themselves but may need reminders to take their medicine. This is a very minimal level of care but ensures that needs are met in an active and social environment.
In a lot of cases, families want to keep their loved ones living in their home as long as they can, but often don’t have the knowledge nor time to care for them. If a senior is needs caring for while their families are at work, Adult Day Care allows them to receive the care they need and be able to socialize with people their age rather than being at home. They are provided meals throughout the day and given activities to do to keep them healthy and active. At the end of the day, they are picked up by their loved ones and taken home. Though the name is somewhat derogatory, it successfully defines what Adult Day Care is. In the same instance – family members needing help caring for their loved ones while keeping them in their homes – In-Home Senior Care is the other option. A caregiver looks after an elderly individual in their home, giving them their medicine, food, exercise, taking them to the doctors office or on errands, and providing other needs and services for the majority of the day. (Types, n.d.).
Once a senior requires help with Activities of Daily Life (ADLS), which includes bathing, dressing, transferring (help with mobility), toileting, and eating, they would typically go to an assisted living community. The staff at an AL is trained to help seniors with these tasks as well as provide various activities for them to do throughout the day. Food packages are offered at this type of community and usually include three meals a day along with snacks and beverages. (Activities, n.d.)
Seniors with an onset of mental illnesses such as dementia require the most care and have the least amount of freedom. These Memory Care (MC) communities focus heavily on security, as seniors with dementia often try to leave. All exits must be secured and monitored with alarm systems. It is important that items such as shampoo, cooking utensils, and other day to day items are securely stored because they are often mistaken for other things and can be very harmful if they are misused. For this reason, closets, cabinetry, and other storage areas must remain locked. Aside from security, a floor plan that allows residents to freely roam is highly recommended, which makes wayfinding crucial. One way to accomplish proper wayfinding is through the use of shadowboxes outside assigned rooms, which residents can fill with personal items that hold significance to them. This helps them remember where their rooms are. Several other wayfinding strategies are through the use of color, patterns, and signage. Designers of memory care communities have to be deliberate when choosing the colors and patterns to be used because significant contrast in color and crazy patterns are often mistaken for scary things. For example, a light-colored flooring that has a square of dark flooring could be mistaken for a black hole so the residents would avoid going near that flooring. The goal in a memory care community is to keep the residents active both mentally and physically because the more active they are, the slower the progression of the disease. In most cases, assisted living and memory care combined into one community, though they typically have their own common areas and are often in different wings in a building. (Types, n.d.)
After leaving a hospital, a senior would likely go to a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) to continue to receive the proper medical care. Because injuries and illnesses are more severe and debilitating as you age, it is too great of a burden to expect a caregiver to provide the appropriate care which is why SNFs came into play. These communities are very similar to a hospital setting. (Torramade, 2016)
A hospice caters to individuals in their end of life journey. The purpose of a hospice is to keep the residents as comfortable as possible as they near the end of their lives. This is also similar to a hospital setting, in which there are hospital beds and space for families to visit their loved ones.
There are communities that combine multiple types of senior living called Continue Care Retirement Communities (CCRC) that allow a person to transition through different stages of their elderly life while staying in the same relative place. A typical CCRC consists of Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care, and a Skilled Nursing Facility, though that can vary. The community is separated into the different types of care to ensure that an individual in memory care isn’t in constant interaction with someone in independent living. This type of community provides easier transitions into the different stages of senior living by taking away some of the anxiety and pressure of moving to a senior living community abruptly.
With many different living and care options available, elderly individuals are able to find the community that fits their health requirements.
References
Continuing Care Retirement Communities | What is a CCRC? (2018, August 16). Retrieved January 29, 2019, from https://www.seniorliving.org/lifestyles/ccrc/
Torramadé, J. P., García, I. A., de las Heras Rodríguez, M., & Bermejo, R. V. (2016). Skilled nursing home care facilities as key players in integrated care. International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC), 16(6), 1–2. https://doi-org.lynx.lib.usm.edu/10.5334/ijic.2873
“Types of Senior Living and Levels of Senior Care” (n.d.) Retrieved via
https://www.seniorliving.org/infographics/senior-living-type-versus-cost/
What Are Activities of Daily Life (ADLs)? - Assisted Living. (n.d.). Retrieved February 3, 2019, from https://www.seniorhousingnet.com/assisted-living/adlsandiadls
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