Ensuring Continuity of Care for Our Parents

One of the more difficult parts of senior care is when a loved one is already receiving assistance, but it suddenly is no longer enough to meet their needs. Think about someone living in a senior care community where independent living is encouraged. They might have their own apartment, and although they are in good health and have loose supervision, this won’t necessarily always be the case. For example, if someone develops Alzheimer’s disease, they may require a higher level of care than what an independent senior living community can provide. This could require them to move yet another time, and this usually leads to a decline in health.

 

Providing a reliable continuity of care for our parents is important. This entails keeping care and the people involved in that care as steady as possible. The routines and the caregivers involved stay familiar and your loved one will often be slightly happier as a result of this. Studies even show that, for those suffering from Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia, this continuity helps to prevent drastic declines in both physical and cognitive health. It’s not always helpful, but familiar settings tend to have a more positive impact on these aspects of health.

 

This kind of a move happens with far greater frequency than you might expect. Sometimes, it can be avoided completely just by planning ahead a little bit. For example, if you are choosing between two assisted living homes, going with one that has a memory care team even if you don’t need it might be of benefit to your loved one just in case something changes.

 

Continuity of care can often lead to better health, especially in cases of memory care.

 

There are other times that this is completely unavoidable. Emergencies and unexpected issues do happen from time to time, and sometimes it will be your family that is impacted by this. Still, you don’t need to be caught completely off guard. Be aware that your loved one’s health could quickly change, and have a backup plan in place. For example, if your loved one currently resides in an assisted living facility that does not have a memory care unit, ask them what they recommend for these cases. What have they done in the past? What is their procedure for helping residents that have growing health needs? These kinds of questions can be a good way to figure out what needs to be done, and then precisely figure out what your family needs to do for your unique situation. Experience counts for a lot, and sometimes there are procedures already in place that will be of great benefit to you.

 

In other instances, you may have to think a bit differently. Continuity of care is important, but remember that it is just a means for providing the best for our loved ones. If you do need to make a move because you believe it is in the best interests of your family, then this is what needs to happen. Just take steps to ensure that you won’t need to do this again in the near future and that it truly is the right decision.

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