09/09/2015
Why Retirement Homes Should Be Considered a Positive Option
Before every important stage in your life, you had to make an important decision: before you went to college, before you got a job, before you started up a family. Approaching the years of seniority, you will notice that nothing has changed regarding your power to make life changing decisions. Just as any other major change, moving to a retirement home implies a lot of thinking and planning ahead, in order to weigh the pros and the cons.
Although the mere thought of moving to such a facility puts most people under a lot of emotional stress, the change may prove beneficial at least in terms of safety, independence and quality of life. This option is appealing especially for those who fear becoming a burden, which actually includes almost every one of us. Though the hardest part is letting go of the house you lived in for almost all your life, you should try to put your personal comfort ahead of clinging to space, however familiar it may be. One of the good things about retirement homes is that the majority of such facilities allow you to bring your own furniture or decorations, so that you can immediately feel at home.
Before taking a closer look into why retirement homes represent a positive option, you should know that there is a big difference between retirement homes and nursing homes: while the former offer independence, privacy and limited medical care, the latter offer 24/7 supervision and medical care for their patients, who cannot take care of themselves. The senior citizens living in retirement homes are able to do things by themselves, at the same time being assisted in case they need it.
The most important reason to choose living in a retirement home is the degree of independence offered to senior citizens, who are able to go out as much as their personal mobility allows them to, who can drive their own car anywhere and, generally, who can do as they please without having to give explanations to anyone. This aspect is important especially for the generation of Baby Boomers, who have maintained the individualist, free spirit even at retirement age.
Another important reason why a retirement home would suit you is the improvement of your social life. Perhaps your current neighbors are young, active people, with jobs and families, who have little or no time to spend with you. In the retirement home all that will change, since your neighbors will have as much free time as you and you can visit each other or go out together.
A retirement home will offer you the privacy you are used to, as it is designed to have separate, independent rooms/apartments, while also offering common spaces for social activities. You will be able to remain the self-sufficient person you were before going to the retirement home without having things you would have worried about if you had stayed home, such as paying the utilities or finding a plumber to fix the pipes. Additionally, the living conditions at retirement homes vary, depending on the price range, from no-frills to luxurious ones that include meals, room service or maids.
How to choose the best retirement home for you? First, if you have the possibility, turn to an eldercare consultant to assess your needs or the needs of your beloved one from different viewpoints: financial, social or geographic. After this process, the consultant will be able to offer you an entire list of suitable retirement homes. If you can't afford or if you can't find an eldercare consultant, get your own list of retirement homes and narrow it down by applying some criteria: financial, social, pet policy, location, size or what else interest you. Once you have narrowed down the list to a few homes, go visit them and look out for the behavior of the staff, the general atmosphere, the aspect of the kitchen, the maintenance and cleanliness of the rooms, and anything else that you can think of. After all, you should be 100% sure that it is the place where you want to spend the following years.
People should stop considering going to retirement homes an obvious sign of decline. On the contrary, choosing to do that means turning toward a facility that can offer more independence, an active social life, and perhaps better living conditions than at home and possibly a great geographic location. Retirement homes are designed for senior citizens who want to be active for a long time.
