Senior Living: An Industry Comes of Age… one place will just feel like home

#SeniorLiving

In the last decades we have witnessed an enormity of positive change in retirement living with option brighter and wider than ever before. It’s going to be fascinating to see the continuing innovations as Boomers come of age.

If your family has entered that season of life, first identify what you’re trying to solve in the next six months and next 5-10 years. Then gather—elder parents and adult children—to begin the conversation. Pick a time and place that’s relaxed then start slow. This is not a once-for-all conversation; it often comes in stages. What’s to be gained in making a move now? Are social, health or emotional motivations leading the way? Will this transition ease stress in the life of the senior and family caregivers?

Next narrow the range of options geographically then by type of community. Limit yourself to 3-4 candidates. The adult child (or healthier spouse) typically does the initial legwork. Tour no more than two communities in a day (or risk overload). Take notes. Begin to weigh value against cost. If you like what you see and hear, return to the top two with your loved one for a more social tour and meal.

Assisted Living is the best choice if more personal care is needed than is available or affordable in a private home or Independent Living community. Care is customized—as much or as little as each person needs. Creative programming keeps residents engaged and exploring.

In researching Memory Care, seek communities that take a wholistic approach to brain disease, relying on creative, organic methods to palliate the symptoms common to dementia. Many negative behaviors and moods often resolve themselves through more one-on-one attention when we meet the core need for compassion and connection.

Ultimately, the decision is a family consensus. The senior, even if challenged by dementia, must be given a voice. For in any situation, the human spirit craves dignity, independence—and choice.

Don’t let the complexities of this decision mask the fact that your instincts are to be trusted. One place will just feel like home. And the staff will feel like family. You’ll know it straight away.

We hope that one place is MorningStar.

This story is sponsored by MorningStar Assisted Living and Memory Care of Beaverton, 14475 SW Barrows Road: 503-713-5143. MorningStarSeniorLiving.com. Join us every Saturday for our open house. Overlooking natural wetlands, MorningStar of Beaverton offers 66 suites for assisted living and 38 devoted to memory care, with studio, one- and two-bedroom floor plans as large as 974 sqft.