Moving into an assisted living community can be tough for your loved one. In most cases, it involves turning their lives upside down. Your loved one will probably have to leave the home that he or she has known for a long time and go to a new place. There is also the fear of losing their independence, which many people dread after a lifetime of living independently. Here are some assisted living fears one may encounter and what you can do about them.
Loss Of Independence
One of the primary fears people have about assisted living communities is the loss of independence. There is a feeling among people that assisted living communities to mean having every aspect of your life regulated. This, however, is not true, and one of the ways you can allay this fear is by getting your loved one to experience an assisted living community beforehand. They will soon realize that they are the ones who choose the level of assistance that they need. This can be changed anytime during their stay, and the choice is entirely in their hands.
Financial Worries
Another fear people have when moving into an assisted living community is that they may not have enough money to sustain them throughout their stay. While this is a valid fear, it is easily mitigated through proper financial planning at the start. Senior living communities can give residents a clear breakdown of their financial obligations throughout their anticipated stay at the retirement community. This means that one can make a sound decision and ensure that they have enough money to cover their stay at the senior living community. By the time your loved one is transitioning to the senior living community, one has a clear picture of the financial obligation, so this is not something to worry about.
Fear of Events
Another common fear people have when it comes to assisted living communities is that they may be forced to participate in events they don’t want to be involved in. In reality, such events are purely voluntary, and no residents are forced to participate in any activity they are not interested in. What happens is that residents of senior living communities are free to participate in activities of their own choosing. For example, if your loved one is into photography, they can participate without hindrance. Assisted living communities offer transport facilities to get your loved one to any picturesque place they want to go and hone their photography skills. This ensures that your loved one can move around and indulge in the activities they love.
Privacy Fears
When it comes to privacy, many people are often scared that they will be forced to give up certain elements of their privacy when living in an assisted living community. This fear is based on a misconception about how assisted living communities are laid out. Residents have their own apartments, which are, for all practical purposes, similar to their own homes in terms of privacy. They can decorate and furnish their apartments as they see. In this sense, their privacy is completely protected. The other part when it comes to privacy is that while assisted living communities offer restaurant-style dining, residents can get their meals in their apartments as well, which means that when they feel like dining alone, they have the freedom to do so.
