BackThe Assisted Living Choice
Article submitted by Prairieview Assisted Living.
For more information, they can be reached at 847-852-3500.
Laurie Pederson of Hoffman Estates is Mary McLennan's youngest daughter. When Mary's health began to decline, Mary and her sister began researching living options for their mom. They chose Prairieview Assisted Living at The Garlands of Barrington. Excerpts from an interview with Laurie about her families' process for finding the best solution for their mother follow:
When the need to provide additional help for an aging parent becomes apparent, many families initially consider making arrangements that allow a loved one to stay at home with the use of home health. What were your experiences along those lines?
Our family has utilized home care and has been very appreciative for the benefits it afforded at the time. But, what we found was that home care, like anything, has its limitations and can sometimes be more challenging in practicality than people may initially realize. At a certain point we determined that a high-caliber Assisted Living community would provide a greater range of services, more consistent, "seamless" care, more activities and more options than a strictly at-home situation can usually afford.
Why did you make the Assisted Living choice?
With homecare, we found that the first challenge is to find an agency that is truly selective with regard to professionalism and compassion among their employees. There's a lot of homework to be done in this regard. Even if the caregiver is fully qualified, there must be the right chemistry and "fit" with mom or dad, which can be a huge challenge in itself, believe me! Often your loved one is resistant and resentful of having someone in his or her home "using the kitchen and putting things in the wrong places."
With Assisted Living, did you worry that your mom would lose her independence?
Contrary to what a lot of people perceive, I think that Assisted Living affords a greater sense of independence over in-home care for many. An individual may not need someone with them every minute (something that would annoy any one of us). They just need assistance with certain tasks and the security of knowing that someone is always there for them if need arises. That's what Assisted Living does best.
How did you resolve some of the logistical staffing concerns that home health presented?
One reality with homecare is that no one person can work around-the-clock, seven days a week. So, homecare can become a patchwork quilt of caregivers and schedules. Cancellations inevitably happen, often with little notice. Sometimes substitutes are available, sometimes not. Even when they are, it can get very disorienting to have new and unfamiliar people in your home. This issue is resolved with Assisted Living. Furthermore, as a person's needs start to exceed what an individual, in-home caregiver can provide, that becomes another issue. For many seniors, more than one person is needed to safely accomplish certain tasks-like bathing or getting up and dressed each day. That gets challenging if you are relying solely on in-home care. With Assisted Living, this issue is also resolved.
Beyond comprehensive care and continuity in staffing, what else attracted you to Assisted Living?
Assisted Living offers the benefits of many on-site services-hairdressers, social events and activities, lab services, therapy and on-site physicians to name a few. Transportation hassles are significantly diminished. I don't even have to drop everything and run out for medication refills any more! With Assisted Living, it's all available as part of the package.
What would you recommend for people who are experiencing similar situations to yours?
The one thing I know for sure is that there is no "silver bullet" formula for everyone. Every family has to consider all of the tools and alternatives available and then coordinate the best arrangement possible for mom or dad at particular point in time. And it is an ever-changing situation, so you really need to be aware of all the options and try to stay ahead of the "need curve" as much as possible.