What is Assisted Living?
When it comes to caring for an aging loved one, assisted living is often seen as the best of both worlds between the amount of care given, and your loved one’s ability to maintain independence. Assisted living residents are given as much independence as they want, but can rest assured knowing that personal care and support is available if they need it. A quality assisted living community can provide assistance with daily living activities like bathing, grooming, getting dressed, and more.
Though some states allow assisted living communities to offer assistance with administering medications, they do not offer complex medical services like a nursing home.
The environment of an assisted living community is more appealing to potential residents and their families than a nursing community, and feels more like a home than a medical community.
Assisted Living Amenities
As a minimum, all assisted living communities offer three prepared meals per day to their residents, and are able to help with some housekeeping and laundry needs as well. Here at Encore at Avalon Park, we strive to give as much back to our residents as we can. Some of our amenities include:
- Activities designed to correspond with a resident’s abilities and talents, and to provide an appropriate amount of social interaction
- Micro-environments that give residents a sense of safety and familiarity
- Medication management
- 24-hour emergency call service
- European-style kitchenettes in each apartment
- Daily trash removal
- Social areas and sitting spaces
- A full-service salon
- Nutritional planning services
- Snacks available 24 hours a day
- Dedicated worship space
We pride ourselves on intermingling our residents with the local Avalon culture whenever possible. In fact, the Avalon Middle School chorus recently stopped by and gave our residents quite the performance.
How Does Assisted Living Differ from Other Levels of Care?
Just because your loved one needs special care doesn’t mean they can’t have a good quality of life. Assisted living communities provide your loved one with the care they need while letting them remain somewhat independent. Here’s what makes assisted living different from other types of care.
Specialized Care Options
You have lots of different options when you’re looking for a way to help an elderly loved one live a quality life. Each type of care is designed for a specific scenario. The best care for your loved one can depend on their age, memory, health, medical requirements, and physical limitations. Therefore, it’s important to know the differences between each type of care so you can choose the right one to provide your loved one with help they need.
• Adult day services are used to provide temporary relief for caregivers during the work week. If you care for a loved one at home but need to go to work or get some rest, adult day services can help you with those responsibilities for the day.
• Temporary respite care is essentially a short-term stay at an assisted living community. If a loved one is recovering from hospitalization or you, the caregiver, are out of town for a few days, respite care can be the solution that you and your loved one need.
• In-home care provides seniors with assistance with day-to-day tasks while keeping them in the comfort of their home, making it a great solution for those who only need help with minor tasks.
Assisted Living Benefits
Assisted living differs from these forms of special care because it’s designed to give your loved one a place to stay where they receive the care they need but still have some freedom. Encore at Avalon Park ensures every member of our community gets the help they need, both medically and with day-to-day tasks. Plus, with plenty of activities for your loved one to enjoy, we help them stay busy and maintain their sense of purpose on a daily basis.
Choosing the right assisted living community is important when it comes to quality of care. Be sure to schedule tours of the assisted living communities you are considering. To learn more about how Encore at Avalon Park can help your loved one live happily and healthily in their later years, give us a call today at (407) 270-7500 or contact us for more information or to schedule a tour.
The Value of Community-Centric Assisted Living
Assisted living communities have made leaps and bounds in quality, luxury, and caliber of service over the years. One of the characteristics of a great assisted living community that often goes overlooked, though, is location.
While it might be great for you to have your elderly loved one in a community that is conveniently located, the benefits of a community-centric assisted living community extend far beyond that.
An Increased Feeling of Safety and Security
Assisted living communities are already designed to be as safe as possible for your loved ones, and a central location within a community further increases that. Residents can also rest easy knowing that being centrally located allows emergency response services to assist even quicker than they would otherwise.
Making New Friends
Quality assisted living communities like Encore offer a wide range of opportunities for residents to get outside and explore their community. This encourages them to socialize, meet new people, and forge new friendships along the way. It’s easy for residents to develop a feeling of isolation without regular social interaction, and having a location near the hustle and bustle of Avalon Park helps improve on that.
A Great Solution for Boredom
We go to great lengths here at Encore to create entertainment and recreation options that keep our residents engaged, but there’s nothing quite like getting outside and experiencing the world around you. For our residents that are more adventurous, our central location makes it such that all of Avalon Park is at their fingertips. From shopping to dining and everything in between, Encore lets your loved one live their life to the fullest.
Choosing the right assisted living community for your loved one can seem exhausting, but it pays dividends when it comes to their happiness and your peace of mind. Schedule a tour of Encore at Avalon Park, and see for yourself why we’re the premier senior living solution in the area. Call us today at 407-270-7500 to schedule a tour, or for any questions you may need answered.
The Difference Between Assisted and Independent Living
As adults, we value our independence and take pride in handling our own affairs. Elderly adults are no different and will likely dismiss offers of assistance or stubbornly refuse help with any growing health problems, memory issues, or other factors may necessitate they receive additional care and attention.
Fortunately, assisted living communities can be a satisfactory caregiving solution for those who are no longer capable of living independently and do not have a family member who can assume the responsibilities of becoming their primary caregiver. That’s because assisted living communities don’t really differ all that much from independent living. In fact, the goal of assisted living communities is to restore independence to its residents.
Assisted Independence
When your loved ones are still capable of handling their own daily responsibilities but need a little bit of help to live a safe and healthy life, there’s no better solution than an assisted living community. Assisted living communities allow residents to get the care they need without it impeding on their life and making them feel like they’re living a life they don’t control. Under supervised care, assisted living residents can stay healthy, safe, and sound while enjoying all the things they love to do.
Active Living
Assisted living residents are offered many ways to stay busy and pursue the passions they’ve always loved. Assisted living communities go out of their way to replicate the comforts of home for residents. They accomplish this through healthy gardens and clean sitting spaces, lively dining and social areas, a full-service salon and wellness center, and a variety of recreational activities and events.
Assisted living communities are also perfect for older adults who aren’t capable of living independently and need a little bit more help. Our communities offer an extra level of care while also maintaining the quality of life of every resident.
What Is It Like to Move into an Assisted Living Community?
Moving into an assisted living community is a great way for your loved one to live a fulfilling life within a safe setting. Not only will an assisted living community help maintain your loved one’s health, but it will also encourage them to remain active and foster a sense of independence during their later years. While moving into a new environment can understandably cause confusion for some, the assisted living community at Encore at Avalon Park offers both a welcoming and comforting transition.
A Helping Hand
When your loved one moves into an assisted living community, they get the benefit of having a helping hand that doesn’t limit their freedom. This means they can enjoy the things they love without having to worry about taking care of the tasks that come with day-to-day life.
While it’s important for your loved one to get the help they need to live a safe and healthy life, it’s also important that they have a good quality of life even as they age. An established assisted living community makes your loved one feel at home and allows them to do the things they love.
A Personalized Approach
One of the most important parts of finding a good assisted living community where your loved one can live is making sure they have the care they need. Assisted living communities often provide some of the best care because they personalize their care based on the needs of each patient. This means your loved one has their needs carefully attended to no matter what level of attention they require.
Encore at Avalon Park provides personalized care in a warm and welcoming environment to help your loved ones feel at home. In addition to spacious comfort, residents have the opportunity to personalize their own rooms with their familiar furniture and decorations, making it more homelike.
Our residents are also provided with:
- Multiple daily meals and snacks
- Pharmaceutical assistance
- Social activities
- Activities and events
- Salon services
- 24-hour emergency call services
Does Your Loved One Need Assisted Living?
Over 15 million Americans put their time and effort into taking care of a loved one who suffers from Alzheimer’s, dementia, or other ailments, but sometimes the toll it takes can be too great. When the burden of being a loved one’s caregiver becomes too high, it may be time to consider making a move to assisted living.
Moving a loved one to assisted living is rarely an easy decision, but there are telltale signs you can look for in order to recognize when the time is right.
Aggression
Unfortunately, it is somewhat common for those who suffer from mental ailments like Alzheimer’s or dementia to exhibit physical aggression, and that can take a serious toll on loved ones trying to administer care, and can even lead to resentment.
Increased Care Needs
If you’re beginning to feel that your loved one’s care needs are beyond your abilities or that your health is being put at risk as a caregiver, it may be time to put your loved one in the care of a trained professional.
Safety in the Home
Consider the physical and mental condition of your loved one and your ability to care for them. Are they safe in their current home? If you’re unsure or think they may injure themselves, an assisted living facility may be a good option.
Wandering
A common occurrence with those suffering from the later stages of dementia, wandering can be very dangerous. Even if you step away for a moment, your loved one can wander and get themselves in trouble or risk an injury.
Choose the Best
If you feel that assisted living is the best option for your loved one, look for a facility with residents that genuinely appear happy, are interacting with others and the staff, as well as hobbies they enjoy. Fitting into the facilities existing atmosphere is important for success.
Let the staff and residents at Encore at Avalon Park demonstrate this is the location for you. Become a part of the best East Orlando assisted living facility while making new friends and new life memories. For more information about our assisted living services, give us a call at 407.270.7500.
Deciding whether assisted living is the right option for a loved one is often a complicated decision. We invite you to come see for yourself why Encore at Avalon Park is a special place and ahead of other communities in the area. Contact us today at 407-270-7500 to schedule a tour of our community.
