What Role Does a Resident’s Family Play in Assisted Living?
After you select an assisted living facility for your aging family member, your role as a caregiver will shift. Whether your family member was previously living in your home or independently, you will need to be mindful of the new dynamics involved as they transition into senior group living. If you’ve been the primary caregiver, you’ll now be forming a collaboration with the staff at the assisted living facility to oversee your elder’s care.
In this post, the care team at Willow Haven Senior Homes assisted living in Carmel, IN, discusses how your role as a caregiver will change regarding your loved one’s care. Sometimes, it’s hard for a family caregiver to transition and transfer care responsibilities.
Work With the Facility, Not Against It
The first thing to remember is that assisted living staff should be your allies, not your adversaries. You have a shared goal. If you have concerns, be sure to bring them up in a spirit of collaborative problem-solving. Don’t approach the staff from a place of anger or blame. Instead, open, clear communication is the key to making this important relationship work.
Your family member’s assisted living facility should be willing to make adjustments to their care plan as needed, but you may need to accept adjustments to your elder’s routine (e.g., sleeping or meal hours). Try to err on the side of advocating for your family member instead of micromanaging their care (which is easy to do if you have been their primary caregiver).
Family Is Vital In Assisted Living Community
Know the Community’s Rules and Regulations
Some of the adjustments you’ll make when your loved one moves into assisted living include adapting to the facility’s rules and policies. The resident may need to change their daily activities or develop new habits. These may affect you, as well.
Many assisted living facilities have set visiting hours, for example. Others require family members to check in and out when they visit, limit who can take the resident off the premises, or require masking for visits. Be sure to review the policies before you decide on an assisted living facility or nursing home since you do not want the rules to take you by surprise.
Consider Your Staff Interactions
Of course, your day-to-day interactions with the facility’s staff should be friendly, pleasant, and mutually respectful. You should also be considerate of how much of their time you are taking up. While any good assisted living facility will strive to treat each resident like family, you should keep in mind that the staff has many other people to take care of. Respect the staff members’ time and treat them with kindness. They have a challenging job!
Quality Time Should Be Your Priority
As a visiting family member, your top priority should be spending quality time with the person you love. Sometimes, this may mean helping them with activities of daily living. But most of the time, it simply means being present with them. Listen to what they have to say, and enjoy the time you have together. If you were accustomed to seeing your loved one daily, it might feel strange to only see them once or twice a week. However, be mindful that they need the chance to adapt individually to the community, too.
Above all, your loved one needs to know that you love them and want the best for them. Demonstrate this through your actions as well as words. Find the ways you can make their experience better, and focus your energy on those.
Willow Haven Senior Homes in Carmel, IN, Will Treat Your Loved One Like Family
At Willow Haven Senior Homes, we combine state-of-the-art facilities with a personal touch to provide all our residents with the care they need. We are proud to provide multiple levels of care, from semi-independent living to memory care.
There are a lot of reasons to choose assisted living in Carmel, IN, for your loved one’s long-term care. Because it’s so close to Indianapolis, your family member can experience the benefits of city life while also enjoying the laid-back suburbs. Carmel is a great place for people of all ages.
Give us a call at (317) 207-0002 or fill out our online contact form. When you visit us, you’ll be sure to find all the signs of a great assisted living facility.