Are You An Overwhelmed Caregiver? 3 Ways Assisted Living Can Help
1. Assisted Living Restores Relationships
Your relationship with your loved one is special, and crossing the threshold from family to caregiver is a complex move for everyone involved. In a child-parent dynamic, the relationship is virtually reversed whenever families enter this season of life, and requiring care can feel vulnerable or even awkward at times. For example, receiving assistance with bathing and dressing can be uncomfortable for a parent when their child is caring for them. This could leave your loved ones feeling embarrassed or even frustrated, which puts an unwanted strain on your day-to-day interactions.
In regard to your personal life, we understand that caregiving is a demanding task, which can leave you with minimal energy (emotional, physical, or mental) to spare for other areas of life. This can also mean a lack of time to invest in your own personal relationships. Time and energy spent giving care may result in less time and energy for friends or even your own family. This can leave you overwhelmed and make it difficult to fully enjoy normal interactions outside of regular caregiver duties. As their child, you want to ensure your loved ones are cared for, but you also want to maintain healthy relationships. Thankfully, assisted living can help restore relationships and the feeling of dignity for your loved ones.
Assisted living gives you peace of mind that your loved ones are cared for while allowing you to remove yourself from the role of caregiver. Hearthside provides a professional, caring staff that treats our residents as if they were their own family. This gives your loved ones the opportunity to open up their homes to you as family instead of care recipients, and allows you to visit the people you care about as family instead of caregivers. All this comes with extra time and energy to invest in your personal relationships. By offering assistance, Hearthside enables families to be families without the complexities of caregiving.
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2. Assisted Living Creates Quality Time Together
A common misconception about senior living is that families who place their loved ones in a community don’t see them as often. This may even be a fear that is preventing you from taking the step toward moving a loved one into a community. Your time spent as a caregiver is undoubtedly important. However, assisted living can help promote the quality of time spent with the ones you love. Rather than your interactions being defined by your role as a caregiver, you can enjoy activities with your loved ones without thinking about medication reminders or other tasks. Assisted living allows a cup of tea with your mother to be just that – Hearthside handles the rest.
Hearthside promotes these interactions by incorporating a variety of fun activities for their residents into everyday life. From luncheons to painting to Sunday services, there are plenty of opportunities for families to visit and participate with their loved ones. Hearthside strives to make our community a home for each of our residents. The atmosphere of our community makes a visit to family feel like you are being welcomed into their home. Despite misconceptions, we believe a change of location does not have to mean seeing your loved ones less. Instead, a move to Hearthside can create opportunities to see them more often and in more meaningful ways.
3. Assisted Living Gives Variety in Socialization
Assisted living certainly promotes relationships between residents and their loved ones by restoring the family dynamic and providing opportunities to visit and interact. However, assisted living also fosters relationships among fellow residents. Socialization is a key aspect of life, and there is significance in interacting with people who share similar ages and experiences. Such commonality can help cultivate meaningful friendships, and Hearthside leverages this to build a sense of community within its walls.
Right now, you carry the responsibility of caregiver, family member, and sometimes even friend. Although these are all wonderful roles to fill, it can become overwhelming. Allowing your loved ones to enter a context where they can meet others with similar situations can help maintain that needed social interaction and give you the opportunity to fulfill your role as a family member. With the various social activities, residents are able to socialize daily. Whether it be a meal or enjoying the beautiful Lebanon scenery on the community walking trail, there are plenty of opportunities to make and strengthen friendships. At Hearthside, your loved ones will be surrounded by staff and residents who are ready to make them feel loved and at home.
Discover the transformative benefits of assisted living at Hearthside for both you and your loved ones. Reclaim precious family time, restore relationships, and enjoy a vibrant social atmosphere. Take the first step towards a brighter future today. Contact us today!
