When considering whether to move to a retirement community, many couples find that they need varying levels of care.
Maybe the husband would be fine in independent living but the wife needs assistance with more activities of daily life, a level of care typically found in assisted living with memory care. The situation might cause some worry: will they be separated from one another? After sharing an entire life together, will they now need to live their lives apart?
While it’s true that moving to a retirement community can be a big change, many things about a couple’s day-to-day lifestyle can stay the same. Couples can continue to see each other every day, share meals together, undertake shared activities, and continue to be active parts of one another’s lives, even if they have varying health care needs. That is why it is important to design an individualized support plan that meets each person’s unique needs, whether physical, social, emotional, spiritual, or intellectual. This approach means that residents with spouses who require advanced care can rest assured their partners’ physical and medical needs are being met, freeing them to focus on being couples, not caretakers.
Assisted Living with Memory Care: Spending Time Together in a Caring Environment
Personal care homes (sometimes referred to as assisted living facilities)Â should always make residents feel at home, which means they must work to ensure residents live in a space that is warm and comforting and includes the familiar faces of loved ones. For those who need assisted living with memory care, it is important to have a memory care facility on-site where residents can receive the full spectrum of health care services to accommodate changing medical needs and keep disruption to a minimum.
Independent senior living spaces coexist with personal care homes in many retirement communities. These spaces are ideal for those who do not require advanced care but could benefit from living their lives free from the hassle of homeownership, such as mowing the lawn, shoveling the driveway, and dealing with home repairs. Even more importantly, they are able to spend time with a spouse in a nearby personal care setting that is able to offer care they may not be able to provide. At Pine Run, for example, The Garden offers dedicated 24/7 memory care, aiding with medication management, offering activities that keep the mind active and engaged, and monitoring for any signs of increased medical needs. Many facilities also have on-site physician’s visits and offer free transportation to medical appointments including dentists, optometrists, and podiatrists.
Residents in memory care settings may need help with their activities of daily living, and their partners may not be fully able to serve as caregivers. Independent senior living spaces and personal care homes like those offered as part of the continuum of care at Pine Run Retirement Community offer services that allow couples to enjoy each other’s company while giving them the peace of mind that comes with knowing both partners are safe and their needs are being met.
Sharing Meals
Mealtime is a special daily experience for many couples, and personal care homes should facilitate shared dining through their meal service, which typically is included in their daily or monthly fees. For residents in assisted living with memory care, Pine Run offers three chef-prepared meals daily, and the meals can be pureed or finely chopped for easier swallowing. Both independent living and assisted living facilities can tailor meals to a couple’s differing dietary needs. Depending on the level of care each spouse requires, staff members also can help residents with other mealtime needs such as reading menus and making meal selections. Couples who require different levels of care don’t have to worry about the hassle of meal preparation and can just focus on quality time together.
Enjoying Activities Together
Meeting the needs of couples means providing opportunities to enjoy activities together. Look for facilities that are dedicated to meeting the social needs of residents in both independent living and assisted living with medical care. For instance, at Pine Run, The Garden’s Life Enrichment Team creates highly individualized programs based on more than just medical history and pharmacy records; they talk to each resident’s family members and friends to make note of the resident’s personal preferences and routines. This allows couples to continue to participate in activities they’ve always loved.
Couples can share a variety of meaningful experiences, such as art activities, discussion groups, games, entertainment, music, gardening, pet therapy, enjoying photo albums, and more. For those receiving memory care, Pine Run’s Art Without Boundaries program offers an approach to retraining the brain using singing, movement, directed painting, and storytelling, which residents can enjoy with spouses no matter the level of care they require. Retirement communities meet the needs of couples when they offer exciting and fun opportunities to engage not only with each other, but also the community to which they belong. Each resident has unique social needs, and it is the responsibility of the facility to meet them in a way that is personalized and thoughtful.
Assisted Living with Memory Care:Â Final Thoughts
While residents may find themselves in a different environment when moving to a retirement community, it is important to make sure the essential parts of a resident’s life are considered and maintained to the extent possible. Couples who have lived full lives together will find they are still able to enjoy each other’s love and support as always while laying their heads down at night in different settings. In fact, many find that the move lifts a heavy burden from the caregiving spouse; in a retirement community like Pine Run, spouses can go back to being family members, not caretakers. The personal care professionals provide the high-quality care they are trained to provide, and spouses can focus on what they do best – being a life partner to their loved one.
For information on the requirements for personal care home in Pennsylvania, click here.