At any age, change and the unknown can be frightening. So, it should come as no surprise that a lot of elderly people put off moving into an assisted living community out of dread. The good news is that most of the anxieties surrounding assisted living are unfounded.
Here are the five main worries raised by seniors when choosing assisted living today.
Fear 1: I’ll Lose My Independence
The goal of assisted living is to help elders regain their freedom, not take it away from them. Residents only get as much assistance as they request or require. Indeed, senior citizens who are in reasonably good health but just need a little more assistance with daily duties like housekeeping, cooking, managing medications, and personal care are the target demographic for assisted living places.
Seniors have more freedom and time to focus on the activities they enjoy, such as friends, family, hobbies, and volunteer work, by spending less time on these less enjoyable and tedious tasks.
Fear 2: I’ll Fall Sick More Easily and Age Quicker
Seniors who reside in assisted living facilities experience less stress than those who stay at home, and they also have a lower incidence of chronic health issues. Also, residents of assisted living facilities are much less prone to experience depression because they not only acquire new friends but also have more free time to bond with them.
Meanwhile, living alone at home is more isolating, stressful, and dangerous for your health because of the greater risk of accidents and falls.
Fear 3: “I’ll Have to Take Part in All Activities, Whether I Enjoy Them or Not”
Older people who fear having to give up their favorite pastimes and be forced to take part in communal events are among those who resist assisted living. Our assisted living communities do provide a variety of social and recreational activities, as well as wellness and educational programs, but seniors can choose to take part in only the events that interest them or skip them entirely.
You can potentially even start your own special interest clubs that meet frequently. Most seniors are presently surprised to learn they can still enjoy doing all the things they loved to do at home, including gardening and exercising.
Fear 4: Assisted Living is Too Expensive for Me to Afford
There are a variety of strategies to pay for assisted living that make it affordable. A financial planner could also propose other solutions, such as borrowing from a whole life insurance policy or selling assets. You might discover that assisted living actually costs less than staying at home when you factor in the expense of owning or renting a house, paying for groceries, utilities, automobile maintenance, professional caretakers, and other amenities like fitness and entertainment.
Fear 5: Everyone Will Forget About Me
Most seniors in assisted living find it simpler to connect with and stay in touch with friends and family when liberated from the burdens of maintaining a home, cooking, grocery shopping, paying bills, and more. In fact, the majority of assisted living facilities facilitate friends and family members’ visits and actively encourage them.
Moving to an assisted living community is definitely not an easy decision, but we hope this helped ease some of your concerns that may be holding you back from enjoying the benefits of it!
