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How Assisted Living Can Help Prevent Trips to The ER

Donna Nichols • February 16, 2021

An Assisted Living Community has many benefits but fewer trips to the ER may not be one you’ve thought about before. 

If your senior is still living in their own home, please read our blog about the home safety checklist to ensure the home is safe.

You may wonder how assisted living communities help prevent trips to the ER.

Well, let’s look at the bathroom in the seniors home versus the bathroom in an assisted living community.

While there are no 100% ways to guarantee accidents won’t happen assisted living communities are much better equipped to prevent recurring accidents. Let’s have a look at some of the ways they help prevent trips to the ER.

  1. Is the bathroom in the home equipped with grab bars in and out of the shower?
  2. Are there grab bars installed near the toilet?
  3. Are there throw rugs in the bathroom?
  4. Is the floor in the bathroom tile and does it get slippery?

Bathrooms in assisted living communities are handicapped accessorized . Meaning they have grab bars installed in the shower and outside of the shower. There is a grab bar by the toilet so they can raise themselves up easier, a lot of the bathrooms have pull strings as well.

Most of the floors have the non-slip tile or the rubber mats that are trip-proof.

In the home, are there handrails down the hallway and/or up the stairs? How about stairs to get up into the home? Are there three or four steps the senior has to climb to get into the front or back door? Are the handrails sturdy?

In an assisted living community, there are handrails in all of the hallways.

The communities don’t have stairs because seniors don’t need the aggravation or worry about having to climb them.

However, some do have inclines where a step or two might have been at one time. Assisted livings install ramps where the steps were so the wheelchairs, walkers, and any other equipment glide easier. Also, many seniors tend to not pick up their feet, so the ramp is easier for them to maneuver.

Does the senior have access to regular exercise in their home? If so, do they actually do it?

In an assisted living community, they have exercise programs to help the senior build strength in not only their muscles, but their minds as well.

Check out our blog on senior friendly activities for some things you can do with your seniors to help sharpen them.

Most seniors won’t go to the doctor if they think they have a cold, which can then turn into pneumonia.

In an assisted living community, they have access to regular doctor check-ups and if something is wrong, they receive the medical attention they require.

Does the senior eat healthy living at home?

Probably not, but at an assisted living community, they get the proper nutrition their body needs, and they get it three times a day! Yes! They receive breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all prepared by a community chef.

This is sounding pretty good right?

When a senior lives alone, they are just that, alone. What happens if they need to change a light bulb? Perhaps they need to step on a stool to reach it, and oops, they slip and fall.

Hopefully, someone checks on them regularly and will find them quickly, but what if that’s not the case? They could lay there for a long time before anyone realizes it and who knows what could happen.

In an assisted living community, they only need to tell the staff the light bulb is out and the staff has someone change the bulb for them.

No worries!!

If you are worried about placing your senior into an assisted living community, I hope this blog gives you some peace of mind.

Not only will they thrive and make new friends, but they will also have fewer trips to the ER, and have around the clock care.

That’s not slighting your loved one, that’s LOVING them!!!

If you need help or encouragement as a Caregiver give us a call at  386-847-2322  or check out our  Caregiver Support Group. Our  Senior Advisors  are here to walk with you through this journey.

Make Valentine’s Day Special for Seniors

By Donna Nichols • February 5, 2025
Valentine’s Day tends to zero in on romantic love, but what about our seniors? They too often get forgotten. We have some ways to make Valentine’s Day special for them too. Spend the day with your loved one. Spending quality time with a loved one is more important to a senior than anything else. There is no greater gift than time and please make sure you have enough, so you are not rushed. Do your elderly loved one have a favorite meal? Perhaps you can prepare it for them, or if they are able, you can prepare it together. How fun would that be for you both? Be sure to discuss the enjoyment it brought you while you are sharing the meal together. How about a game of name that love song? You could prepare a playlist of love songs from the generation and play them to see how many they get correct. Or, if you can sing, you can sing some for them and see if they can recollect them. Take some time for reminiscing, go through old photo albums, or ask about old times. Ask them about when you were young and what trouble you caused; this will give you all something to laugh (or cry) about. Has your loved one been cooped up all winter? Take them out for a nice lunch, or weather permitting, a picnic in the park. Go for coffee and a donut, then head out to see a movie. Make a “date” of it. Maybe your senior is into crafts. You can design special Valentine’s Day cards for other family members. This way your senior can express their love for them and send it to them in their own unique way. You can create other greeting cards as well. Bake some special treats together. Does your senior have some favorite cookies or cake? You could bake it together, or you can bake it for them. Then you can enjoy it after you have the meal you prepared together. Yummy, delicious!! You can watch some romantic movies together if they prefer to stay in the house or the weather isn’t so good. If they like to color, you can buy them some of those large coloring books and you can color together. Don’t forget the decorations and the flowers! Make the house or apartment as festive as possible. Even if they live in as assisted living community, you can still decorate their room to the nines! Make it as festive as possible! If you live in another state or can’t be close to your senior for Valentine’s Day, how about sending them a specially crafted care package. You can hand make some gifts, add some photos of family and friends, and send a personally recorded message. You can bake some homemade treats and incorporate some things that are of personal interest to them. This will show how much you care for them and make their Valentine’s Day extra special even if you can’t be with them.  There are so many ways to make Valentine’s Day special for seniors. Let’s not forget about them; make sure to show them they are so loved too!

February is National Heart Month

By Donna Nichols • February 4, 2025
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Hydration Tips for the Winter

By Donna Nichols • January 8, 2025
I’ve written many blogs about the importance of staying hydrated in the summer, but did you know it’s just as important to stay hydrated in the winter months? I’ve shared some important tips on how to stay hydrated in the winter and why. Cold, dry air can dehydrate you easily and quickly. Even if you don’t feel thirsty. Proper hydration can help regulate your body temperature, maintain healthy organ function, and prevent fatigue, dry skin, and headaches. In the colder months, you do not feel thirsty, that’s why it’s so important to make sure you drink plenty of water. Why is winter hydration so important? Colder air tends to be drier causing moisture to evaporate through your breathing which can cause dehydration. In colder weather, you may not feel as thirsty, causing you to become dehydrated quickly. Also, wearing more clothing traps sweat inside your clothing causing more fluid loss. What are some of the benefits of staying hydrated in the winter? • Drinking enough water helps keep your skin hydrated and prevents dryness. This will help with that dry, itchy skin feeling we all get in the winter. • Water helps your body maintain a regular core temperature. Which is so important to maintain in the winter. • Drinking plenty of water supports your immune system, which helps fight off winter colds and the flu. We all want to fight those germs off! • When you are dehydrated, you become tired easily, so drinking plenty of water helps keep your energy levels up. How do you stay hydrated in the winter? • Make sure you drink plenty of water. Set reminders if you must; you probably won’t feel as thirsty in the winter, but you need to keep drinking that water! • You don’t have to drink cold water; room temperature water works. You can also drink tea or water with lemon, as long as you’re getting your water. • If you’re going out, carry a water bottle with you to ensure you have water to drink. • Eat fruits and vegetables that contain water. Tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, watermelon, cauliflower, mushrooms, cucumber, apples, and pineapple are just a few that contain high water contents. • If you think you’re dehydrated, check your urine; if it’s a darker color, that can suggest dehydration. Urine should be a pale, yellow color. As you can see, staying hydrated in the winter is just as important as staying hydrated in the summer, if not more. In the winter you don’t realize you are thirsty therefore you tend not to drink as much water as you should. This has the potential of wreaking havoc on your body. Please make sure you drink plenty of water in the wintertime as you do in the summertime. We have rebranded our company, we are now Assisted Senior Services! Call us for ANYTHING SENIOR!! 386-847-2322!
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