Sometimes, due to illness or injury, moving to an assisted living community is something a person has to do. But many older adults, seeing the abundance of advantages that assisted living offers, make that choice long before it’s a “have to.”
More Than Just Assistance
Help with performing activities of daily living — bathing, dressing, cooking, etc. — is a core function of assisted living facilities, but it is by no means all they offer or the only reason to move to one. Assisted living communities provide services and activities that promote physical, mental, and social well-being.
Physical Activities
Assisted living facilities provide myriad opportunities for physical activity, which protects against functional decline. Inactivity in older adults leads to muscle loss, which leads to falls, which leads to loss of mobility, physical function, and death. Exercise is an important method for combatting that negative cycle, according to a study in the European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine.
Hobbies and Excursions
Assisted living communities also give residents convenient opportunities to pursue hobbies, play games, and go on excursions, which keep the brain active, and, according to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology, prolong healthy life expectancy in the elderly.
Social Opportunities
Assisted living communities provide a social environment where residents can interact with one another, interact with staff, and easily receive visitors, which makes it easier for them to maintain strong connections with family and friends. This promotes social well-being, which is predictive of physical well-being. “Social frailty” is predictive of physical frailty, according to a study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Researchers found that physically capable older adults who lacked social interaction became physically frail at a much higher rate (55 percent over four years) than those who had daily social interaction (34 percent over four years).
More than a Room to Rent
Far from just a room to rent, assisted living provides residents with environments that promote physical, mental, and social well-being, which improves their quality of life and prolongs their physical function. Let’s take a look at 10 of the top reasons why assisted living communities have become “want to” places to live.
If you want to learn more about the benefits of assisted living for both elderly loved ones and their families, download our free eBook “How Moving My Loved One to The Arbors Eliminated My Caregiving Challenges”.