Shorter term assisted living stays are sometimes necessary for various reasons, but the most common is for rehabilitation after a hospital stay or a serious injury. The staff of an assisted living facility can provide care to a loved one, such as help with bathing, preparing meals, and taking care of cleaning, which is valuable if no family members are able to take on these tasks on such short notice after an illness.
Making sure that your loved one is comfortable in their assisted living home is important, since how well they adjust to assisted living can affect how well they are able to rest and heal during rehabilitation. The following are some ideas on how to make sure your loved one is comfortable.
Have a Schedule for Visits
One thing that may comfort your loved one is knowing that someone is going to come and visit on a regular basis. You might set up a rotating schedule and have each family member let your loved one know when the next person will be coming to visit.
Personalize their Space
Work with your assisted living staff to see how you can personalize their living quarters. It may be as simple as bringing their own bedding or nightgown from home. You might also bring personal effects for them to look at while they are in bed resting. In some cases, even rearranging the furniture in the room to match their own bedroom can help the space feel a little more familiar.
Choose Good Staff
The staff that your loved one will interact with include medical professionals such as skilled nurses, doctors, and geriatric care specialists, and custodial staff to help with daily activities and tasks. All of these must be welcoming and warm, especially when they have short term residents who will take some time to get comfortable with the rehabilitation facility. It helps to meet these staff beforehand so that you know your loved one will be in good hands.
The goal of an assisted living stay, in addition to short term rehabilitation, may be to see whether an assisted living facility living situation would be a good fit either continuing after the rehabilitation stay, or in the near future. In this case, it's critical to impress your loved one with how comfortable they can be in assisted living. Your facility's director should be aware of this possibility so that they can help you fully introduce your loved one to the benefits of assisted living. For more information regarding assisted living services, contact businesses such as Orchard Park.
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