Watching your parent or loved one get older isn’t easy—and it can feel scary. When you’re used to your loved one being independent, you may be startled to notice they’re taking more time to deal with daily tasks or they’ve stopped doing things they love because of physical limitations.
Adult children deal with a great deal of stress as they navigate new waters, helping their parent or loved one with health and aging issues. Good news: Senior living can alleviate worries about aging parents and their care.
Let’s look at how senior living can not only be seriously beneficial to your parent or loved one, but it can also give you the reassurance you need about their health and happiness.
Both you and your aging loved one want the same thing: for them to continue living life to its fullest. You both want this next stage of life to be purposeful, interesting, and relaxing.
When the realities of aging and health create hurdles to happiness, it’s easy for everyone to stress out. The “sandwich generation” is stressed about many things, and the health and aging of their parents or loved ones is a big one. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and underwater.
Thankfully, today’s senior living communities provide the balance of care and independence that your loved one needs. A senior living community can make an extraordinary difference, both in the happiness level of your parent or loved one, and your own anxiety levels.
Senior living communities like Cedarhurst are designed so today’s seniors can retire their way. Getting older hasn’t stopped your parents from looking for more meaning in this next chapter. They want to keep doing things like yoga, game nights, book club, and family gatherings. They also want to be around interesting people and do interesting new things—and you want that for them, too.
In a senior living community, your loved one gets life on their terms, and you get reassurance that they’re in good hands. It’s all about freedom.
Today, senior living communities promote a zest for life and an engaging future. Retirees are thriving in communities like Cedarhurst where we not only support your parent or loved one, but we also empower them to keep doing what they love.
Whether your parent is into travel, crafting, sports, or something else altogether, they don’t have to give it up because they move. The right senior living community tailors the experience for each senior because one size does not fit all. Your loved one can curate their best life in a senior living community.
Speaking of doing what you want—in a senior living community, someone else is taking care of home maintenance, cleaning, and other time-consuming tasks so your parent can focus on what brings them the most joy. As their child, you get to do more of what you want, too, because you won’t be worried about mowing their lawn or coordinating house repairs.
Beyond the convenience of not having to help your parent or loved one with house maintenance, there’s an even bigger stress reliever: knowing your loved one is thriving.
A healthy lifestyle supports long-term good health. However, the phrase “healthy lifestyle” can mean different things to different people, so senior living communities provide plenty of opportunities for residents to maintain their health.
Communities like Cedarhurst offer a variety of ways to make exercise fun, along with healthy and delectable meals that don’t taste like “health food.” Being active and eating right promote a healthy senior lifestyle, and the other crucial component is staying—or getting—social. Don’t underestimate the power of playing cards with the boys or having a game night with the girls.
Socialization is one of the most overlooked benefits that senior living communities offer. Instead of worrying about your parent or loved one being alone every day, check out how senior living communities bring people together and help them live their best life.
Having social support is as important to one’s health as exercise. In a Cedarhurst community, your parent or loved one will have plenty of new friends to add to their life because our communities are designed to increase socialization.
This means that when you visit your parent or loved one, it’s something you look forward to—and it’s not just another errand to make sure Mom talks to someone every day. You can visit and have fun! Try a new activity, and make sure you try the food.
Communities like Cedarhurst don’t just make it easy for you to stay connected to your loved one—we encourage it!
Maybe your loved one’s health is good now, but you’re wondering about the road ahead as they age. What happens if their health needs change dramatically? What happens if they start showing signs of dementia?
It’s natural to feel concerned about the health and aging of your loved one, even after you’ve found a fantastic senior living community. You may not be worried about them all the time, but what happens five years from now? A whole other set of health and aging challenges may be on the horizon, and you want to make sure your loved one is getting the level of support they need as they age.
Care for Every Stage as They Age
Cedarhurst’s continuum of support ensures your loved one will have nuanced, individual care when their needs change.
For example, if your dad is still an active guy who likes to watch local baseball games and hang out with his buddies, he’ll fit right in at an independent living community. However, if your dad starts having mobility issues, he’s going to get the care he needs in assisted living while still enjoying the support of a tight community. And if your dad starts showing signs of any type of dementia, Cedarhurst’s memory care community options can make sure he’s in a safe and enriching environment.
Families and loved ones of seniors don’t have to worry about finding someone who can help as needs change. Cedarhurst offers various kinds of support across our senior living communities. In some cases, your loved one can age in place, no matter what health challenges they face as they age.
Today, senior living encompasses everything from an on-the-go lifestyle to memory care. These comprehensive communities give everyone reassurance that their parent or loved one will get the lifestyle they want and the care they need, at every stage.
It’s natural to feel a little concern for your parent or loved one as they age. Thankfully, senior living communities such as Cedarhurst can provide the reassurance you need that your loved one is living their best life and getting the support and care they require. When you find a community you can trust, it removes the worry from your shoulders and helps you maintain a more meaningful relationship with your loved one in this stage of life.
It’s all about taking a holistic approach to health and aging in a senior living community. At Cedarhurst Senior Living, we not only focus on healthy food, fun activities, safe environments, thoughtful enrichment, and regular socialization—we focus on those things and more.
Dig deeper and get more information on how senior living can work for your loved one in our guide THE HOLISTIC APPROACH TO AGING AND HEALTH WITH SENIOR LIVING.