Johannesburg, 18 August 2020: Deciding to move to an assisted living environment for seniors can be a difficult and emotional process. Whether you’re deciding as an individual, a couple or the adult child of a senior, it can be difficult to know when the right time is. Barry Kaganson, CEO of Auria Senior Living – a leading developer and operator of senior living communities in South Africa – identifies six signs that it may be time to consider a move.
Declining ability to manage with activities of daily living
Many older adults are perfectly able to look after themselves, but for many, age comes with a declining ability to manage what we call the activities of daily living (ADLs). According to a 2019 study[i]by Richard Johnson, a senior fellow and director of the Program on Retirement Policy at the Urban Institute in the USA, only about 8% of adults aged 65-74 require assistance with some ADLs. Of those aged 75-84, about 17% require assistance. After that, however, the figures increase dramatically: 40% of those over 85 years of age require assistance with two or more ADLs[1]. This need for care may also not happen gradually – it may occur because of a sudden onset of illness, or an incident such as a fall.
There may be a variety of ADLs that seniors need help with as they get older. They may stop cooking for themselves, stop eating properly, forget to take medication or neglect their personal hygiene, among other things. Senior living environments such as Auria communities provide support for activities of daily living in a sensitive but supportive manner. “Proper balanced nutrition, exercise programmes and carers who are on hand to assist with basic daily activities are all on hand in our senior living environments,” says Kaganson. Appealing and balanced meals prepared by Auria’s chefs ensure regular nutrition.
Safety concerns
Mobility and general safety are also important to consider, with falls being of particular concern. The World Health Organization reports that falls are the second leading cause of accidental or unintentional injury deaths worldwide, and that each year an estimated 646 000 individuals die from falls globally. Adults older than 65 years of age suffer the greatest number of fatal falls, and 37.3 million falls that are severe enough to require medical attention occur each year[2]. “While falls are not the only safety concern, they are significant enough to warrant attention. In our communities, we provide exercise programmes focussed on agility and fall prevention for all our residents,” says Kaganson. “Residing in a senior living community also means that people have much readier access to assistance and emergency response in the event of a fall. A swift response generally results in a better outcome.”
Trouble with admin and home maintenance
“As one ages, it understandably becomes harder to keep up with the demands of home maintenance. It can also become overwhelming to handle administrative tasks such as managing bills and banking, especially in our increasingly complex and busy world,” says Kaganson. If you notice that your loved-one seems to be struggling to keep their home clean and well maintained, or that they are becoming overwhelmed by administrative tasks, this is a sign that they would benefit from living in an environment where much of that concern is removed.
Isolation or loss of interest in activities
Increased isolation, reduced contact with friends and family, or a loss of interest in social activities, exercise or creative pursuits can also be warning signs. Isolation in particular can be a risk factor for early mortality, and can be exacerbated by a person’s difficulties with mobility, hearing or cognitive decline. It has been shown that older adults who regularly have the opportunity to socialise, take part in stimulating activities and who feel part of a community, experience better overall health. This is one of the considerable benefits of living in a senior living community, where programmes for exercise, social contact, crafts, hobbies and other activities are in place.
Carer stress
When a spouse, adult child or other carer is finding it impossible to meet the many needs of a senior without considerable stress to themselves, it is time to consider moving. While many caregivers and families make every effort to keep their loved-ones in familiar and comforting environments for as long as possible, many of the above factors can put undue stress on a single carer and would be better handled by a team of professionals. This doesn’t have to mean being consigned to a ‘nursing home’. “We are highly conscious of the need to preserve quality of life and operate with the philosophy that people deserve dignity, love and understanding at all stages of life,” says Kaganson.
Signs of dementia
Each of the above, along with other factors, can contribute to or be caused by progressive dementia. There may be behaviour changes such as aggression, irritability or confusion. A person may become disoriented, forget things or even wander off and get lost. With older adults being a greater risk for dementia (25% of people over age 80 suffer from some form of dementia), it is highly likely that some of these symptoms could point to dementia in a senior. In addition to getting a diagnosis, it is important to make sure that the person is placed in an environment where their needs can be fully met without compromising their quality of life.
No need to compromise
One of the factors that may prevent couples from moving to an assisted living environment sooner is the fact that one spouse feels their independence may be compromised – which is in fact not the case at all. “This is where continuing care retirement communities provide such an attractive option. One partner can still be fully independent while the other receives the assistance they need: their differing needs can be equally catered for in the same living environment,” says Kaganson. Because these living environments are structured as vibrant communities which cater for a range of needs, the spouse with better health is not compromised. “It is important to think ahead about how both partners’ needs will change, especially if one partner may need assistance in the not too distant future. One of the best ways to set your mind at rest is to visit a senior living community, ask questions and find out what kind of care continuum is available,” says Kaganson.
Article by:
About Auria Senior Living
Auria Senior Living (Auria) develops, owns and manages a portfolio of senior living communities throughout South Africa. Auria is setting a new benchmark in continuing-care community living for the over 70s, providing for the intellectual, emotional, social and physical needs of its residents, in attractive and well-located environments.
The company’s flagship is San Sereno in Bryanston, and it is currently upgrading and renovating Melrose Manor in Melrose, due to be completed by mid-2020. Its latest project, Royal View, is a 122 apartment senior living development on the Royal Johannesburg & Kensington golf course, due to open at the end of 2021, with sales commencing in mid-2020.
For more information on Auria Senior Living visit: www.auria.co.za, or contact 087 654 8833.
34 comments
I think this is a real great blog post.
important site
Hello there, I found your site via Google while searching for a related topic, your site came up, it looks good. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
You can select the other projects’ submitted or verified links
to be imported.
My site :: premium gsa ser lists
My partner and I stumbled over here by a different web address and thought I should check things out. I like what I see so i am just following you. Look forward to looking at your web page yet again.
Someone essentially help to make critically articles I might state.
That is the first time I frequented your web page and up to now?
I surprised with the analysis you made to make this particular submit amazing.
Magnificent job!
http://fibrasendero.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=aulaporn.com/best-premium-porn-sites/
Good day very cool site!! Guy .. Beautiful .. Superb .. I’ll bookmark your blog and take the feeds also…I am satisfied to seek out a lot of useful information right here in the post, we need work out more techniques on this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .
This is a very good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere. Short but very accurate information횜 Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read article!
http://www.texgene.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=aulaporn.com/best-premium-porn-sites/
Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an extremely long comment but after I clicked
submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all
that over again. Anyways, just wanted to say superb blog!
Excellent article. Keep writing such kind of info on your site.
Im really impressed by it.
Hi there, You’ve done an incredible job. I will certainly digg it and in my
opinion recommend to my friends. I am confident they will be benefited
from this site.
http://www.grannysex.cc/cgi-bin/atc/out.cgi?id=182&u=https://aulaporn.com/best-premium-porn-sites/
Great blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers?
I’m planning to start my own website soon but I’m a
little lost on everything. Would you recommend starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m totally confused ..
Any recommendations? Bless you!
우리카지노
I have been browsing online more than 3 hours today, but I by no means discovered any interesting article like yours. It is lovely price enough for me. Personally, if all website owners and bloggers made good content as you probably did, the internet might be much more useful than ever before.
I just like the helpful info you provide to your articles. I’ll bookmark your weblog and check once more right here regularly. I am fairly sure I’ll be told lots of new stuff proper right here! Best of luck for the following!|
hey there and thank you for your info – I’ve certainly picked up anything new from right here.
I did however expertise several technical issues using this
web site, since I experienced to reload the web site many times previous to I
could get it to load correctly. I had been wondering if your web hosting is OK?
Not that I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will sometimes affect your placement in google and could damage your quality score
if ads and marketing with Adwords. Anyway I am adding this
RSS to my e-mail and can look out for a lot more
of your respective exciting content. Make sure you update this again soon.
Hello! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a team of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche.
Your blog provided us valuable information to work on. You have done a
extraordinary job!
That is a great tip especially to those new to
the blogosphere. Simple but very precise info… Thanks for sharing this one.
A must read article!
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be actually something which I think I would never understand.
It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I am looking
forward for your next post, I’ll try to get the
hang of it!
my web blog: whatsapp web [Jonelle]
Keep this going please, great job!|
Hi! I know this is kinda off topic however , I’d figured I’d ask.
Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest authoring a blog article or vice-versa?
My website goes over a lot of the same subjects as yours and I feel we could
greatly benefit from each other. If you’re interested feel free to send me an email.
I look forward to hearing from you! Terrific blog by the way!
I like examining and I believe this website got
some really utilitarian stuff on it!
I must express my respect for your generosity giving support to visitors who absolutely need assistance with this one situation. Your special commitment to passing
the message throughout appeared to be especially
good and has frequently helped people like me to realize their
endeavors. Your personal valuable tips and hints signifies so much to me
and somewhat more to my colleagues. Thanks a lot; from everyone of us.
Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact used to be a entertainment account it.
Look complex to far brought agreeable from you! By
the way, how can we be in contact?
With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into any
problems of plagorism or copyright violation? My website has
a lot of unique content I’ve either authored myself or outsourced but it looks like
a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without
my agreement. Do you know any solutions to help stop content
from being ripped off? I’d definitely appreciate it.
I like reading through a post that can make people
think. Also, many thanks for permitting me to comment!
Feel free to surf to my web site; calendar stickers
Thank you a bunch for sharing this with all of us you actually realize what you’re speaking approximately! Bookmarked. Kindly additionally visit my website =). We can have a hyperlink change agreement among us!
I am genuinely thankful to the owner of this website
who has shared this fantastic piece of writing at at
this place.
Somebody essentially assist to make significantly posts I would state. This is the very first time I frequented your web page and up to now? I surprised with the research you made to make this actual submit amazing. Magnificent task!
Hello there! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my good old room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this post to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Many thanks for sharing!
This is something similar that I used to do when I was building lists and encoding full-time for mid-sized companies.
우리카지노