From Independent Living To Senior Assisted Living Facility

[ photo by Kristen Sturdivant]



Saying goodbye to independent living.

I had a good conversation with one of my patients earlier this week. Let’s call him Leon. Leon has been receiving rehabilitation for the past six weeks at one of the nursing facilities I cover. He is still receiving his rehabilitation under his Medicare A but used up his allotted amount of days before he was ready to be able to safely return to home.

He moved to a shared room in the long term part of the nursing facility in order to save on his out of pocket costs but is still having the majority of his rehabilitation paid through his Medicare benefits. Leon has a diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia (LBD). He was diagnosed a little over a year ago.

His initial dementia symptoms have not been severe, so far. Just prior to his diagnosis, Leon noticed that he struggled with some basic tasks, especially when he needed to multitask. His son was having to help him out more frequently in some basic home care tasks. Leon said he was having some trouble remembering little things, and he also noted some trouble with walking. These difficulties with movement, called Parkinsonisms, can be associated with LBD.

Transition to senior assisted living facility.

Because of his diagnosis and the expectation that he would continue to decline, he had been living with his son and daughter-in-law for the past year. His symptoms remained fairly mild, allowing him to be able to be mostly independent with his basic ADLs at the house, but with his recent hospitalization for pneumonia, he really declined physically. 

Leon has been a very hard worker throughout his whole rehab process. None of the therapists have ever had to convince him to participate in his daily sessions, and he has been very proactive with his health. He asks me a lot of questions on how he can improve his nutrition and maintain his strength gains from therapy. Despite Leon’s hard work, however, he just has not been able to reach that modified independent level he enjoyed with his mobility and basic ADLs prior to the hospitalization. 

I have enjoyed getting to know Leon during my biweekly visits with him in rehab. He raised his family out of state and moved to Indiana after his son moved here for his work. Leon talks about how much he values his family but is worried about becoming a burden to his son and his somewhat young family. Because of Leon’s concern for this, the fact that his son and daughter-in-law both work full time jobs, and that he is continuing to require assistance with most of his ADLs, the decision was made this past week for him to move to a senior assisted living facility.

I saw Leon the day after this decision was made. When I walked into his room, I could tell something was on his mind, so I sat down with him and asked him what seemed to be troubling him. He filled me in on the decision to move and, despite understanding the reasoning, said he didn’t want to go to a senior assisted living facility because he was afraid it would be “too institutional.” After six weeks receiving rehabilitation in a nursing home, he was ready to be in a more home like setting. Leon has had no prior experience with senior assisted living facilities, so this led to a great conversation between him and me. 

Benefits of senior assisted living facilities.

Senior assisted living facilities are a wonderful option for those that can move around, mostly on their own, but need the added option of someone to be present should the resident need extra assistance at times. In general, senior assisted living facilities have multiple studio to 1- and 2-bedroom apartments available to residents. These apartments have small kitchens or kitchenettes to allow residents to provide some of their preferred foods, but they also have dining rooms that serve 2-3 meals/day so that residents do not have to worry about obtaining the groceries and cooking their own meals.

These apartments are private spaces in which the residents can shut the door and receive visitors or help only when they request. They can be furnished with the residents’ personal furniture and decor to allow each resident the ability to have their comforts from home. Assisted living facilities provide activities and entertainment throughout the week to help residents continue to engage in community, but these activities are optional. There is generally a nurse available that can assist with medications if the residents and their families prefer this service.

When I explained these things to Leon, this seemed to put him more at ease. He still had some feelings of nervousness about such a big move, so I encouraged him to accompany his son on some of the visits to the various facilities. Leon is in the position to be able to do some small trips outside with the help of his son, so this is a viable option. In cases where the potential residents cannot get out and make those visits it helps when the family members take pictures and go into detail about each place. It is important to also make sure to keep these residents in the loop, helping them to feel that they are a part of the decision making process. 

Making the move to a senior assisted living facility.

I cannot say that I left Leon with complete excitement about the likelihood of moving to a senior assisted living facility after our conversation, but he did tell me he felt a bit less apprehensive. This was a good reminder that when those loved ones are looking at a big life change, keep communicating openly. Yes, their bodies may be slowing down, but that does not mean they should be kept in the dark about the next steps of their care.

I find the more someone feels that they are a part of the decision making process, the more accepting they are of the plan. I am excited for Leon to move into his next stage of life. Is it a big change? Yes, but moving to a senior assisted living facility is an excellent decision for him in his current stage of his health, and now he is a bit more accepting of it because I took the time to listen to him and calm his fears. 

Please leave a comment if you have a question or experience to share about moving to a senior assisted living facility.

© 2020 Jessica Kluetz, DO