Category: News

When it comes time to talk with a loved one about assisted living, the way you go about it will determine if the conversation goes well. Downsizing from a house full of memories, leaving a familiar neighborhood, fearing the loss of autonomy and control of their lives can make many seniors hesitant to even discuss the subject. Allowing them to voice their concerns rather than being dismissive of them and being a good listener when you bring up the topic will help make it a positive conversation.

Getting the Conversation Started

It’s best to broach the subject of assisted living well before your loved ones need it. Try mentioning it in casual conversation by asking if they have thought about it or are considering it for the future. Ask open-ended questions and really listen to what your loved one has to say about how they see their lives in the next two, five, or ten years.

Don’t be surprised if the first attempt at discussing assisted living is rebuffed and even met with resentment. If that is the case, drop the subject and give it time before you bring it up again. An opportunity may prevent itself to restart the conversation if your mom falls and sprains her wrist or your dad complains about the endless chores involved with maintaining the house.

Unless your senior loved one’s situation is urgent, keep in mind the saying, “patience is a virtue” and don’t press them into talking about or making a big life decision like moving into assisted living if it will cause hurt feelings or anger.

Have Some Prepared Responses

When your loved one is ready to talk about assisted living have some prepared responses if they express doubts about their finances, losing their independence, or leaving a familiar place.

Offer to go with them to speak with a financial adviser who specializes in helping seniors prepare for the transition to assisted living. Having a professional lay it out for them will be helpful in their decision-making process.

If they are worried about losing their freedom point out how liberating it will be to not have constant home-upkeep to manage or endless lists of chores for cooking and cleaning. Muse with them about how they can use their free time to pursue their hobbies, try new things, and focus on doing the things they enjoy instead. Remind them they deserve to be unburdened by heavy responsibilities and focus on what they really like to do.

If they are worried about leaving a familiar place offer to join them on a tour of Sopris Lodge at Carbondale so they can see what the living accommodations look like, all that our menu has to offer, and the fun activities we have scheduled like live entertainment, scenic outings, educational lectures, and more. This will give them an opportunity to meet and talk to residents already living and thriving here.

Keep It Positive

Always emphasize the positive when it comes to their decision regarding assisted living. Offer support and be a sympathetic listener as they work through their concerns about it. Keep reminding them it’s their turn to focus on having fun pursuing their hobbies and interests with new friends and experience the things they’ve never had time for.

If you would like to learn more about independent living, assisted living, or memory care, we’re here for you as a resource and glad to answer your questions. For a personalized tour, visit soprislodge.com or call us at 970-876-6008 and let your loved ones see for themselves all our community has to offer.

A healthy, collaborative conversation between aging parents and adult children about senior living options begins with everyone sitting down at the table, talking about quality of life issues, learning about different types of senior communities, exploring the lifestyles offered by each — and doing it together.

A good senior living community provides care when needed, a vibrant social calendar, a sense of encouraging both independence and peace of mind, ample opportunity to socialize with peers, more time spent enjoying life, and less time on home maintenance.

If you are considering a conversation about a move, these steps will help you start the conversation off on the right foot.

Evaluate the Situation

Changes in older adults’ health needs, mobility, or cognition can impact their personal safety and their ability to handle household responsibilities. If this is the case, a move to senior living could be a good solution for everyone.

Prepare for the Conversation

During your conversation, have as much relevant information on hand as you can, like which communities have apartments available, whether all-inclusive pricing options exist, and which communities can fulfill certain care needs.

Involve Everyone

Always follow the parents’ lead in the conversation! While adult children may recognize signs it’s time for a move, it’s essential that everyone be on board as much as possible. Ideally, both adult children and their parents can have a say in the final decision, which will ultimately make everyone feel more secure.

Offer Help to Decide

Adult children and their parents should work together to make a pros and cons list for moving versus staying at home; this may help put things in perspective financially, practically, and emotionally. Together, you can discuss priorities and explore a range of communities while identifying options and benefits.

Visit Communities Together

Visiting a senior living community together is a key part of the decision process. Explore different options in person and get a feel for what life is like. If the older adult has a friend in senior living, try setting up a visit with them, or contact a community to book a personal tour.

When having this conversation, be sure to gather all the necessary facts and information about communities of interest and think of the additional points you want to know more about. And most of all, be sure to visit a variety of senior living communities in person!

At Sopris Lodge at Carbondale, we help families find the best living situation to meet their loved one’s needs. Call 970-251-1708 or contact us online if you have questions about assisted living or memory care or would like to schedule a personalized tour.

Are you or a loved one having difficulty with activities of daily living as you age? Has a spouse or friend’s memory declined to the point you are worried about their safety? Before you begin searching for long-term care, it’s important to know the difference between assisted living and memory care. While some of the services are the same, there are several differences in the level of care provided.

What is Assisted Living?

Seniors in an assisted living community typically need help with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, medication management, or mobility, but don’t need around-the-clock help. Seniors who receive this level of care can clearly communicate their needs and their reasoning skills are intact.

What is Memory Care?

Like assisted living, residents in memory care also require assistance with activities of daily living. However, they are often unable to clearly articulate their needs and therefore, require a higher – and more personalized – level of care. Seniors experiencing memory loss may forget how to turn off the stove or oven, or even how to navigate to and from their apartment. Memory care team members have special training to enhance engagement and communication with these residents so they can be successful and still maintain a purpose in a community.

Assisted Living Communities

Safety is always a concern for seniors who are prone to falls and other injuries. In assisted living communities, residents may have an emergency call device like a pendant as well as call buttons in their apartments and daily check-ins from team members to ensure they are generally in good health.

Assisted living communities offer lots of fun activities and opportunities for residents to socialize and engage like painting, playing board games, going to live musical performances, daily exercise, and educational forums.

Memory Care Communities

Safety and security are heightened in a memory care community, which typically includes keypad access for team members and visitors to enter and leave the memory care neighborhood. Memory care communities are often designed to minimize confusion with plenty of open space for walking and movement, ample signage, color-coded walls, and personalized shadow boxes to help residents navigate the building.

Memory care residents have access to most of the same socialization opportunities, but with more personalization to ensure they are meaningful and purposeful. At Sopris Lodge at Carbondale, special activities are scheduled for our memory care residents that are shown to help slow cognitive decline, reduce falls, and decrease the use of some medications, and are done with the support of trained team members.

Your Senior Care Partner

At Sopris Lodge at Carbondale, we help families find the best living situation to meet their loved one’s needs. Call 970-876-6008 or contact us online if you have questions about assisted living or memory care or would like to schedule a personalized tour.

For caregivers of older adults, taking a break from time to time is critical to avoid becoming overly exhausted and stressed, which can affect your personal health and ability to provide your loved one with the best possible care.

Research has found that personal timeouts or breaks, when taken regularly, can contribute to a caregiver’s overall effectiveness. Respite from daily caregiving helps to prevent burnout by allowing you to attend to your life outside of caregiving, including your career, home, family, and personal needs. Afterward, you can return to caregiving feeling refreshed and rested, physically, mentally, emotionally, and perhaps with an entirely new perspective on care.

To serve this need for respite, many senior living communities provide short, or longer-term respite stays or temporary housing and care specifically for seniors. This allows their caregiver to take a vacation or a break from their daily responsibilities. Short-term stays at a comfortable and welcoming community can also serve as a great resource for seniors recovering from an injury or a hospital stay, or for those interested in a trial stay before making a final decision about moving into the community as a resident.

Along with assisted living and memory care services delivered by the on-site care team at most senior living communities, a respite care stay provides your loved one with the freedom to enjoy many services and amenities. At Sopris Lodge at Carbondale Senior Living, the list is long and includes a fully furnished apartment with cable and Wi-Fi, three nutritious meals served daily, access to outside services like home health, hospice, physical therapy, weekly housekeeping and linen services, a beauty salon, library, an exercise room with fitness equipment, courtyard, scheduled transportation, activities and events.

In addition to quality respite care, Sopris Lodge has precautionary measures in place to help ensure that our residents, including short-term guests for respite stays, remain safe and healthy while staying with us. This includes a 24-hour emergency call system, emergency alert pendants and more.

With a respite stay at Sopris Lodge, you’ll know your loved one is in good hands, enabling you to take time for self-care, whether that means going on vacation, engaging in your favorite hobby, or meeting up with old friends.

If you’re interested in arranging a respite stay for your loved one in one of Sopris Lodge’s assisted living or memory care apartments, give us a call today at 970-876-6008 or schedule a tour online.