Getting Help From Home

Assisted living communities provide older adults with a higher quality of life, compared to living alone. As you age, living alone can become challenging. The ability to keep up with housework, maintain social ties and keep important appointments often declines. Today, a wide variety of assisted living options are available to suit the needs of the growing senior population. If you, or a loved one is considering moving into an assisted living facility, here are four benefits for you to know. 

Reduces Depression

Issues such as isolation, medical problems and transitioning from work to retirement contribute to depression among seniors. Of these issues, researchers found that reduced social interaction alone was enough to double the risk of depression among seniors. In the study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, scientists found that living in an assisted living community significantly reduces the risk of depression. Researchers believe the social interaction provided in an assisted living community is responsible for the drop in depression rates. Assisted living facilities offer social activities and provide opportunities for seniors to forge meaningful relationships. 

Lowers Accident Risk

Older adults are at an increased risk of falling and injuring themselves. Many seniors have reduced mobility due to arthritis and other joint problems. In addition, muscle mass naturally declines with age, which reduces overall strength. Assisted living facilities take steps to reduce falls and lower accidents. Seniors are assisted with carrying heavy, or bulk items and are helped in and out of chairs and beds. Senior centers also offer a range of age-appropriate exercise activities to help build strength and reduce the rate of muscle loss in older adults.

Provides a Clean, Safe Environment

Due to decreased energy and limited mobility, many seniors have trouble keeping up with daily household duties such as laundry, vacuuming, taking out the garbage and even cooking for themselves. It's not uncommon to find seniors living on their own with piles of laundry, spoiled food in the fridge and overgrown yards. At senior living facilities, older adults can feel at home in a clean safe environment where nutritious meals are prepared for them and tasks such as cleaning and cooking are taken care of. 

Solves Transportation Problems

The skills associated with driving typically diminish with age, leaving many seniors without the ability to drive themselves to where they need to go. To compound this issue, public transportation isn't readily available in all areas, leaving many seniors without a reliable form of transportation. Seniors without reliable transportation are often housebound, which greatly reduces their quality of life. Assisted living centers provide seniors with transportation so that they can get to medical appointments, run errands, go on social outings and visit family.