Aging can be a difficult thing. When you age, your body ages with you, as only makes sense. With this age can come a considerable amount of physical decline, meaning that it is no longer safe for the person in question to live independently for fear that they might fall and become seriously injured. In addition to this, mental decline is also a concern for many elderly people (those who are at or over the age of sixty five) with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, of which there are more than one hundred identified types, becoming far more common the older that a person becomes.
But for most people, no matter how old they are, independence is a hugely important thing to be able to hold onto. In fact, up to ninety percent of elderly people in the United States want to stay in their home and live independently for as long as they are able to do so, something that has a lot to do with comfort and leading their own lives in the way that they want them to be led. Of course, this makes a great deal of sense, as having your independence taken from you can be a jarring, unsettling, and painful thing.
However, sometimes it becomes simply not safe for an elderly person to live without any type of support network and so an independent living facility becomes the next best option. Actually, independent living facilities and senior living homes are not nearly as bad as many people think them to be in terms of the level of autonomy and independence the residents have. In many an independent living facility, the residents are able to live virtually independently – but are still provided with help and support when they need it, as well as easy access to any medical treatments and interventions that they might also be in need of but might have trouble accessing on their own when living away from the independent living facility.
In addition to this, living in an independent living facility can actually be a great way for elderly people to become more engaged in the community around them. In fact, up to half of elderly adults participate in some type of volunteer work and many of them find this volunteer work directly through the senior living community of which they are a part of. Senior housing and other senior living communities are also likely to foster friendships, as you must typically be at or over the age of fifty five in order to buy property and such an independent living site.
Living at an independent living facility might even begin to foster some romantic connections for single elderly people who are interested. And while not many people who aren’t elderly automatically think of elderly people as romantic beings, this is actually far from the case. In fact, more than ten percent of the elderly population in the United States (around twelve percent of it, to be a little bit more exact) uses some type of dating app – if not even multiple dating apps, at that. An independent living facility filled with other people of a similar age is likely to set the stage for romantic connection in those who are interested in finding it, though this is certainly not a necessity to have a good experience at any given retirement community or assisted living facility.
Finally, it is hugely important to address the fact that living in an assisted living facility gives family members and other such loved ones a much greater peace of mind. At an assisted living facility, they won’t worry about the elderly person in question coming to harm in any way and, in addition to this, they will be able to see them thrive in their new community and environment, something that everyone wants to see for those that they love. Living in an assisted living facility or independent living facility also means that the burden of care is taken off the shoulders of family members who do not have the professional training needing to thoroughly provide that care.
