In the not too distant past, generations of family members often lived in the same town or residence, where the young could support elders during their golden years. However, thanks to sociological and demographic changes, today it isn’t unusual for family members to be spread out all over the country, which can create loneliness in elders who don’t get to see their loved ones often. This is also why assisted living apartments in Cornelius, NC have been designed to combat isolation in the following four ways.
Group Dining
While most retirement communities have a designated dining area where residents can eat together, many of the individual apartments are also large enough to accommodate guests who can eat in private with their resident family members. The food can be delivered to the domicile and some apartments even have kitchens where residents or their kids can cook homemade meals if they choose.
Caretaker Monitoring
While privacy is extremely important and caretakers will respect it at all times, the overall lifestyle of residents will be monitored to ensure that they are not left isolated or depressed. This monitoring will usually come in the form of wellness checks from community team members who will periodically visit the resident’s apartment to ensure that they are safe and secure, and to ascertain whether their necessities have changed.
Assisted Living Combats Sedentary Habits
While community residents do have the option of lounging around all day in their apartments if they wish, the domicile is designed in such a way where residents are encouraged to remain active. Not only is there enough space for basic gym equipment for residents that prefer exercising alone, there is also a dedicated fitness center where members can work out and socialize with others. Most experts recommend at least one hundred and fifty minutes worth of fitness every week.
Wifi and Emergency Call Systems
Modern assisted living apartments are equipped with the latest communication technology, which includes high speed wireless internet and emergency call systems. This ensures that residents remain connected to the wider world where they can always remain aware of the latest news as well as local, national and international developments. It also allows them to communicate with family members via email and social media. Emergency call systems are critical as they will enable residents to contact community team members in the event of an emergency. This makes them feel less isolated and more confident.
When retirees are compelled to live in solitude, they won’t have much socialization and may feel tempted to live in a way which does not adhere to their personality. While some people, namely introverts, due require time alone to recharge, extroverts thrive from human contact. Each person has distinct social needs, and quality assisted living communities are designed to adapt to them, both in the way in which their apartments are designed and situated as well as the activities which residents are encouraged to engage in. Community members must be allowed to socialize with others as much as they want.
