There is this common idea that moving into an assisted living home means losing your independence. This is assuredly not the case. As our loved one’s age, they find they cannot perform certain tasks and activities they once could. In a blog by Vantage, a positive aging resource, it says, The ability to make choices throughout the day has a big impact on how you feel about yourself. When you are no longer managing the decisions in your life, you might feel like less of an individual. They’ve spent their lives raising families and making decisions so when this changes, it tends to leave them feeling the need to hold tightly onto what they can control. As you would imagine, bringing up the idea of assistance of any kind, let alone assisted living, can cause a lot of anxiety or anger. We need to change the common mindset that needing assistance means losing independence. In doing so, we can ease the stress of the transition into a different style of living.
Here at Bel Aire Senior Living, we don’t see it as a loss of independence. We see it as quite the opposite. Moving into assisted living can actually help you gain your freedom back in many ways. The quality of living increases through activities, new friendships, consistent meals, and more. Having a place to yourself where your kids or family can come visit you in your new home also adds to the freedom of it all. Instead of having your family help you do the little things each day, the child and parent dynamic is restored.
Choosing to live in assisted living, even when you don’t need any help with activities of daily living, is still a smart choice. When you begin to need help, you won’t have to move and you’ll already be used to your environment. Here at Bel Aire, we actually have a lot of independent people who don’t need much help with anything yet. Come take a tour today and see what could be in store for you and your family members!