The COVID-19 pandemic makes life harder for seniors! Continuously changing regulations have shaken up routines and made daily living lonely and complicated. Many of these concerns can be made easier with caring professionals and a network of amenities and resources, as provided in a senior living community. Life is easier with convenient, qualified help whenever you need it.
Shopping for a good senior living community can be a lot to figure out. Different communities offer different services and amenities, and recent news stores highlight the impact that differing standards of care can have on vulnerable seniors during the pandemic. Good senior living communities keep residents safe through outstanding leadership, staffing, and investment in care.
Here are six ways in which the right senior living community can help offer an easier, safer, and more fun retirement lifestyle in uncertain times.
1. Get the extra help you need
Everyone needs help sometimes but coordinating personal care at home is tough. If a caregiver needs a day off, coverage becomes chaotic, especially when relying on family members facing their own challenges during the pandemic. Hiring personal caregivers is difficult, and the New York Times reported in June 2020 that many hired caregivers might themselves be inadvertently exposing clients to COVID-19. In a full-service senior living community, caregivers are screened, hired, trained, and monitored for licensing and compliance. Adequate protective supplies are in use to reduce the chance of contagion. Your care needs can be met 24-7, without hassle or uncertainty.
Amenities like an onsite hair stylist or more targeted care, such as help dressing or showering, can all be provided in a full-service senior living community. These services restore confidence and dignity to anyone who needs a little extra help. According to the National Center for Assisted Living, over 64% of residents need some form of personal care, which is easily provided in a community setting.
2. Say goodbye to routine chores
Say goodbye to yard work, snow shoveling or salting the walk. Let someone else deal with an appliance that is not running properly, cable that goes out, or a burnt-out light fixture, without letting strangers into your home or figuring out warranties and billing. A full-service senior living community will have a dedicated maintenance team to create a safe and lovely residence, inside and out. Housework and laundry will be a taken care of. You will have the help you need, when you need it.
3. Look forward to mealtimes again
Grocery shopping is hard during a pandemic. Shortages of common ingredients are challenging to plan around and waiting in long lines to enter the store slows down the entire process. And as AARP points out, routine shopping now requires an entire list of distancing and sanitizing requirements. Getting all this right is risky and tiring. A different living situation can make a huge improvement in your quality-of-life! The right senior living communities serve delicious, nutritious food when you want without the hassle of shopping, meal preparation or cleanup.
If you enjoy cooking and baking, some residence options include full, modern kitchens. Transportation to and from the grocery store and help with heavy shopping bags and clean up makes cooking enjoyable again.
4. Coordinate medical care
Connecting with medical providers can be challenging in uncertain times. Traveling to and from doctors’ appointments might involve remote meetings (telemedicine) or texting from the parking lot, and the rules are always changing. Obtaining prescriptions and refills can seem like an unending chore. A full-service senior living community simplifies routine medical care by providing an onsite licensed nursing service to help you determine when a concern requires follow up. Qualified medical professionals coordinate medications and make sure you get the proper dosage when you need it.
If you need extra services, such as physical, occupational, or speech therapy, some communities will offer those services on-site, without the hassle of travel from your home. Most importantly, you can avoid the crowded waiting rooms that increase your risk of illness.
5. Connect with people who share your interests
Social distancing in uncertain times is lonely. Community life guarantees someone who knows you will make sure your needs are met safely and with a smile. Full-service senior living communities are staffed with caring professionals who invest in creating a vibrant living experience with shared activities, amenities, and social opportunities within guidelines of healthy practices. Take the guesswork out of trying to socialize safely in uncertain times, and connect with those around you in a secure, managed environment. Games, crafts, movie nights, parties, outings, and so much more are just steps away.
6. Enjoy your family time again
By relieving family members of caregiving responsibilities, gatherings become fun again. Our team takes care of daily chores and coordinates your medical care, so you can relax with your friends and family in a beautiful setting. Our facilities offer many options for connecting safely indoors and out as social distancing guidelines ebb and flow. Our team screens potential visitors for symptoms reducing your risk to COVID-19 while maintaining the fun provided by connecting with visitors.
Find the right fit today with Vantage Point
While no one can predict what the next year will bring, connecting with Vantage Point can help you plan for an engaging experience despite these uncertain times. Vantage Point offers a comprehensive array of professional services and engaging amenities throughout our many beautiful properties to help you build the vibrant retirement life you deserve. Contact us at 610.696.4177 to learn how we can help you reduce the uncertainties of daily life and enjoy a fun and care-free retirement. Connect with friendly people who care today!
