If you’re the caregiver of an elderly parent, you might have considered moving your loved one into an assisted living community.
Maybe you’re unsure if now is the right time for them to move into a new community, or wonder “what does assisted living provide?”
Today’s assisted living communities offer more amenities and healthcare options than ever before. At The Kensington White Plains, our enhanced assisted living license (EALR) allows seniors to age in place in just one community, without needing to transfer to a new place when their health care needs change.
We’ll help you understand what assisted living is and what it provides for seniors so you can help your loved one transition from home to their new community with confidence.
What is Assisted Living and What Does it Provide?
An assisted living community is a long-term residence that provides housing and care for seniors who need help completing their activities of daily living.
Many seniors make the transition from living at a private residence to moving into an assisted living community because they can no longer live completely independently.
When a senior moves into assisted living, they gain access to high-quality accommodations such as life enrichment programs, dining programs, daily services, and a busy calendar full of social activities.
Assisted living residents are also surrounded by medical professionals who can administer medical care to assist them with bathing, dressing, taking medications, and other health needs.
People who move into assisted living are still generally active and in good health but require an extra hand occasionally from the staff.
For seniors who live independently but can no longer keep up with maintaining their yard and home, moving into assisted living is a great way to minimize responsibilities and start living a hassle-free lifestyle.
Assisted living rooms resemble a home-like environment, often allowing residents to choose between living in their own apartments or a shared suite with roommates.
What Benefits Does Assisted Living Provide?
For seniors who live at home alone, isolation can worsen cognitive abilities and lead to depression. However, when a resident moves into assisted living, they enter a community filled with friendly faces and a calendar full of social activities to keep their mind and body sharp.
Assisted living communities are also extremely safe environments with their own security staff to ensure all residents are safe and secure at all times.
Many assisted living communities offer on-site rehabilitation services and on-site physician offices so medical care is easily accessible for all residents.
For caregivers, often children of elderly parents, transitioning a loved one into assisted living offers a great sense of relief, knowing that seniors have around-the-clock care from loving and trained professionals who can provide the best possible level of care required.
How Does Assisted Living Compare to Independent Living and Memory Care?
When it comes to senior care communities, there are many terms out there you’ve likely stumbled upon. Sometimes people use assisted living and independent living interchangeably, however, there are key differences between the two kinds of communities. Others may not understand the specialized care available within memory care communities.
How Independent Living Communities are Different
People who live in independent living communities are mostly independent, in terms of completing their activities of daily living. They usually don’t require extra assistance when it comes to things like bathing, paying bills, taking medications, or moving around.
However, as care needs change, independent living residents can oftentimes receive special services that suit their individual needs.
Seniors who move into independent living are downsizing their homes and responsibilities so they can live a hassle-free lifestyle in a social community.
Independent living residents are making more of a lifestyle choice. They’re choosing to move into these communities because the access to amenities and services will make their life simpler.
How Memory Care Communities are Different
While there is much overlap between what independent living and assisted living can offer, memory care communities provide additional care that goes above and beyond what traditional assisted living can offer.
Memory care communities are for residents with memory loss caused by dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, MS, and other cognitive diseases that affect communication, actions, and movement.
As memory diseases progress, residents living in memory care communities are no longer able to complete most of their activities of daily living. They depend on the care of a medical team to eat, bathe, and use the bathroom. Because of this, residents in memory care receive the highest level of care and supervision.
These neighborhoods are fully-secured environments that keep a closer watch on their residents to ensure no one is wandering during sundowning, a common occurrence for people with Alzheimer’s.
Memory care neighborhoods typically feature a color-coded environment that helps residents navigate and memorize their locations and also include memory care programs that aim to improve their residents’ cognition, motor skills, and memory.
Assisted Living Allows Seniors to Age in Place
Luckily, many assisted living communities today offer more medical care than before, allowing residents to age in place in one community, without needing to transfer away into a new community because their health needs changed.
However, before you decide to move your loved one into an assisted living community, it’s important to find out what medical services the community does and does not provide for its residents. Some assisted living and independent living are unable to administer medical services for their residents, which can quickly cause your loved one to transfer out when their care needs change.
Assisted communities such as The Kensington White Plains offer high acuity care, providing healthcare services for residents who need specialized assistance as they age.
This means our team can provide exceptional care for all of our residents, even those who have multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, and Alzheimer’s, dementia, or who require rehabilitation therapies.
Your Partners in Care: The Kensington White Plains Assisted Living Community
The Kensington White Plains is an enhanced assisted living and memory care community located in White Plains, New York.
Our enhanced assisted living license enables us to provide a very high level of care for all of our residents. Unlike other assisted living communities that are limited in the healthcare they can provide, our enhanced license allows us to welcome all types of residents, even those who are wheelchair-bound, use oxygen, require special diets, or pureed meals.
For residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia, we also feature 2 distinct memory care neighborhoods — Haven and Connections — to provide additional medical care for those who require it most.
At The Kensington White Plains, we extend Our Promise to all of our residents and their families to love and care for your family as we would our own.
We’re your partners in care and providing love and support for your senior loved one. If you’re a caregiver for a senior and are considering a transition into assisted living, please contact us to learn more.