Resources for Residential Health Facilities

A Guide to Residential Health Facilities

Residential health facilities combine two approaches to senior assisted living.  You start with an environment that’s welcoming, friendly, and comfortable, so that the residents can feel as at-home as possible.  Then you provide medical equipment and personnel on call around-the-clock, ready to handle any emergency.  The result is a residential health facility, and it may be the right choice for you and your family.  Let’s consider what the advantages might be, as well as what you should keep in mind before engaging their services.

Benefits

One of the most important aspects of geriatric care is prevention.  Problems that may seem insignificant can snowball without adequate monitoring and expert supervision.  Most people are unable to provide that kind of care in the home, and it’s often necessary to the good health of the elderly, even if their health isn’t particularly bad.  But it’s not desirable to find an intensive care facility for them to live, either.  Residential health facilities provide many of the advantages of medical supervision with many of the comforts of home.

It’s possible to provide the elderly with all they need at home: nursing care, medical equipment, and so forth.  But the battery of standard tests is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and it’s not a cost-effective solution.  Comprehensive, modern medical care involves, for instance, regular vitamin deficiency blood work.  That requires expert diagnosis and laboratory support, neither of which you’re likely to be in a position to afford.

Residential health facilities can coordinate care for your relative without compromising the lifestyle to which they’ve become accustomed.  In fact, if your loved one has been living alone or becoming withdrawn, they’re likely to find themselves rejuvenated by all the new company and activities residential living provides.  For the elderly, this kind of engagement alone is one of the pillars of good health.  Without active stimulation, the brain tends to bore and decay over time, and it’s one of the causes of dementia.  Conversation, relationships, and active commitment to their health can all be factors in living full lives.

Pitfalls

Your loved one may rely on their habits and creature comforts to stay grounded, and they may find it disorienting or upsetting to be moved away from all of that just to be close to a doctor.  It’s possible that it would do more harm than good by pushing them towards resentment, boredom, and eventual depression.  Talk to them about the pros and cons, and listen to what they care about.  Remember: it has to make them happier and healthier, not the other way around.

Conclusion

Residential health facilities are useful to many families making the life change of adopting professional medical care for their loved ones.  It’s a sensitive time, and there are many considerations that will point you towards the right decision.  This may be the right choice for you – or it may not.