Making an Assisted Living Facility Your Home

Independent LivingThere is nothing more depressing than walking down the hallway of an assisted living facility, opening each door and discovering that every room looks the exact same except for a couple of family photographs. Whoever came up with the idea that a retirement facility should resemble a hospital was not paying attention to what assisted living residents themselves want. When seniors go into a retirement facility, they do not check their individual personalities in at the reception desk.

Lakewood Park Manor is an assisted living facility that believes seniors should continue to live in an environment in which they are comfortable. Thus, we have different accommodations available for different people. Residents that want a balcony to sit on have that option. Those that don’t want a balcony, or for whom a balcony might be dangerous, have the option for a room without one. In total, Lakewood Park Manor has three different rooms for seniors to choose from.

Expressing your personality is not just about room size, which is why we allow our assisted living residents to decorate their rooms how they want. We will supply the furniture, but after that it is up to residents to make their rooms their homes. Family photos are encouraged, but a resident’s decoration choices should not stop there. Assisted living residents are encouraged to bring important knick-knacks and mementos to spruce up their new homes.

Lakewood Park Manor also has a VIP upgrade option for seniors that want even more custom choices. With this option, assisted living residents can tell us their favorite colors are and we will paint the room accordingly. We’ll even include a flat-screen television.

That’s just one way that Lakewood Park Manor ensures that our retirement facility is a reflection of our assisted living residents’ personalities.

Retirement Living with Friends

Independent LivingAs you get older, the people in your neighborhood tend to change. The old neighbors slowly move out and are often replaced by younger families with kids. Past dreams of enjoying retirement with your friends often fade. That does not mean that retirement living needs to be free of friends. Seniors who enjoy an active lifestyle might find that an independent living facility affords them the friends and lifestyle that they dreamed of for their retirement years.

Retirement living is most enjoyable when you have the freedom to do those activities that you never had time for when you were raising your family and working. In an independent living facility you have the freedom to set your own schedule and enjoy the activities that you want with other people in your age group. A retirement living facility like Lakewood Park Manor is full of other seniors who want to enjoy their retirement years as much as you do.

If you want to play an afternoon game of cards with friends, you can. Other seniors might enjoy shopping and an independent living facility has friends you can go to the store with. A good retirement living facility should be full of choices that independent seniors can make to enjoy the activities they want to participate in with the people they want to participate with. Every senior likes different things, which is why we offer so many choices in our retirement living facility.

If there ever comes a time when independent living is not the best choice for you, we also offer assisted living options. This means that you do not have to change retirement living facilities as your life changes. You can stay in the same facility and still be surrounded by your friends.

Only the Best Food for Assisted Living Residents

Independent LivingMany people have an idea of assisted living that includes a life of hospital-like food. At Lakewood Park Manor, however, we ensure that our residents receive not only the best care but also the best possible food that can be found at an assisted living residence. Our chef and kitchen staff ensure that seniors receive home-cooked meals three times a day with plenty of snacks in between meals.

Our assisted living residents can expect to wake up to an already prepared full breakfast. Whether they prefer cold cereal or hot ham and eggs, our staff delivers the delicious food that seniors expect. We know that not everyone likes eggs prepared in the same way, so our staff will make them to order. Of course, breakfast is also served with juice and coffee.

Lunch in our assisted living facility is a full meal. Although our chefs change the menu on daily basis, seniors can expect to eat hearty sandwiches and sides like mashed potatoes with home-cooked gravy. We prepare the dinner in the same way. Residents receive a complete entree with sides. They can even enjoy a soup or salad before their meal. No dinner would be complete without dessert and our chefs make it daily. It’s not hospital jello either.

Assisted living residents do sometimes have special dietary needs. Our staff is aware of this and has the experience to make appropriate tasty meals whatever our residents’ dietary needs. We work with health care professionals to ensure that our residents receive the best nutrition for their own individual needs.

At Lakewood Park Manor, we do not think that assisted living residents should ever receive anything less than the best food. Our kitchen staff is dedicated to make sure seniors don’t.

Retirement Living that is not Boring

Independent LivingAt Lakewood Park Manor we believe that retirement living should not be boring living. You do not need to fear that going into a retirement home will lead to a life of drudgery and routine. We have a wide-variety of activities that residents can participate in, if they want. This turns our retirement home into a living home.

Retirement living here can include bowling tournaments or billiards in our own facilities. If you prefer a rousing game of Bingo, we have friendly games every week. Retirement living at Lakewood Park Manor even includes Karaoke because we know that you don’t lose the ability to carry a tune when you enter a retirement home.

It’s not all loud fun and games here. Some of our residents prefer quieter activities. We have a full library for residents to browse and check out a book or books. Our residents can spend their retirement years reading all those books that they never had time for when they were working every day. Other residents prefer our Bible study groups or religious services. Retirement living here also includes movie screenings. The movie might be loud, but our residents can sit and quietly enjoy it.

If residents prefer not to engage in activities, they do not have to. The best thing about retirement living is that you finally have the chance to make your own decisions about what you do. We have the activities available so our residents can participate when and if they want. A retirement home should allow residents to participate as little or as often as they want. That’s our philosophy and what we do. We think that with our wide range of available options, however, every senior can find activities to make their retirement living anything but boring living.

Is Your Senior Resisting Going to an Assisted Living Residence?

It is entirely human for us to resist going forth into the unknown and even more so when we have prejudices erroneously set up by things that happened in the past.  Your senior may have seen their grandmother locked up in a nursing home that was degrading and filled with hopelessness as well. Even worse, your senior may have seen a parent locked into such a senior home where they quickly left this world. Those memories are bound to instill a tremendous amount of fear.

It won’t be easy to defeat such thinking, but it is quite possible. The quarters and living conditions of a modern independent living residence are not only attractive but filled with happy seniors who are enjoying their retirement home. You will find that each one of these sites is much more of an independent living community than a retirement home.

Even in an assisted living residence, the seniors there can maintain as much independence as possible, and thus can require assistance only where needed. Such assisted and independent living is actually based on keeping the senior’s dignity, whereas the nursing homes of old certainly considered that as the last thing they needed to look out for!

The assisted living residence of today no more resembles the old nursing homes where seniors were often seen staring at blank walls, or walking zombie-like muttering to themselves. Today, they watch television, see plays, and watch movies, which they discuss amongst themselves afterward. The differences are truly staggering and if you arrange for your senior to visit Lakewood Park Manor, chances are very good that you will no longer be met with resistance. Your senior will find that we’ve come a long way in making retirement enjoyable while keeping their dignity intact.

A Senior Home is Like Any Other Senior Home

It is truly unfortunate that many seniors erroneously feel that way. It becomes readily evident that they have not looked into some of the wonderful residences available for assisted and independent living today. Unless they see for themselves what is available, their judgment is clouded by what senior living used to be like in nursing homes that did not take into account today’s active seniors.

Instead when you visit an independent living community today, you will be met with seniors playing tennis, golfing, swimming, row boating and even power walking. Granted that’s not all of them as some go in for more sedentary senior living than that, and instead take part in choirs, recitals, dances, chess games, watching movies or doing research on the computers that are made available in the recreation rooms in such facilities.

Senior living today is no longer sitting in a rocking chair all alone reminiscing about what their life consisted of when they were younger. That was fine for their great grandfather if that’s what he enjoyed doing in a senior home, but today’s seniors ask for more than that, and they get it.

Today there are a tremendous amount of choices as far as an independent living community is concerned. Depending on ones choice, there are some that are graded from being an independent living residence, to an assisted living residence, all the way up to being more of a retirement facility than those mentioned. Thus if the need of the retiree becomes greater, there is no need to even move the person, and consequently the retiree can remain in a locale that is familiar and where there are still friends available. We have certainly come a long way in senior living so that today’s seniors no longer feel shut into a nursing home of old.

Retirement Home Options to Consider

Much of the focus that is given to choosing a retirement home has to do with the amenities that are available outside of the room. This may include the access to medical personnel, proper nutrition, and the staff that is going to help them with their independent living. Some consideration should also be given, however, to the various amenities that are available within the room that do not have anything to do with the staff. This is something that you should certainly consider when choosing a retirement facility, as it is where your loved one is going to spend the majority of their time. Here are some of the things to look for that will help to make it as comfortable as possible for everyone involved.

In most retirement homes, there are going to be various room types that are available. These may include various sizes as well as access to different amenities that are included with the room. For most seniors, access to climate control as well as a comfortable environment is going to be important. A private bathroom is also going to be something that is enjoyed by most seniors as well. The need of the individual, however, is going to differ as well as the prices that are going to be charged for these various rooms. It is not only important to make sure that these rooms are within your price range, you would also want to make sure that they were going to provide the comfort that was necessary for your loved one.

How to Choose an Assisted and Independent Living Facility

If you feel that an assisted and independent living facility is the right choice for yourself or your loved ones, there are some things that should be looked over carefully to make sure that you are making the proper choice. An independent living community is not simply an area in which those that are in their senior years are going to live out the rest of their lives, it is something that should provide them with a degree of freedom, while at the same time, giving them the security that is necessary. There are some specific things that should be considered when you are reviewing these assisted and independent living facilities in order to make sure that you are making a wise choice for every one that is involved.

Before you choose an assisted living facility, you should visit the facility in order to make sure that everything is available that they need. This would include access to medical personnel, transportation, entertainment, and proper nutrition. You also want to check on the safety of the area, including the bathroom, making sure that it has a call system in case a fall or other emergency should arise. You should also check the personnel, making sure that they provide additional assistance if necessary, such as with bathing, clothing, or with medication. One other thing that you will find beneficial to review in advance are the social advantages of using an independent living community. Make sure that there are plenty of activities that are available, as well as if there is access to the other residents that will allow your loved one to interact with their peers.

The Benefits of Using a Senior Home

There are many benefits that go with using a senior home, and many individuals who enter this time of life find that the independent living that it offers is more than worth the change. Of course, choosing an assisted living facility instead of choosing a full-time nursing home is something that is going to be more beneficial for those who have the ability to care for themselves in some ways but still need assistance to make sure that they are doing it properly. This is true as far as healthcare is concerned, as well as making sure that they are safe from falls and have access to the transportation necessary to care for their daily needs. Another benefit that is seen when using a senior home is in the access to other individuals, something that is often lost when a senior is confined to their home.

Making a choice as to whether you should take advantage of a senior home or not is one that should be discussed with your family. In many cases, the entire family will visit the independent living facility in order to see if it is going to offer the amenities that are necessary for their loved one. This is often what convinces an individual that assisted living is the right choice. After all, not only are their loved ones going to have access to the care that is necessary but they are also going to have access to structured activities and regular entertainment that will allow them to enjoy their golden years.

Enjoying your Golden Years in a Retirement Facility

As we get up in years, many of us find it is difficult to make sure that we are taking care of ourselves properly. We may be confined to our home, and this can make it difficult not only to get to our regular appointments but also to make sure that our day-to-day needs are taken care of. That is why many individuals who have entered this time of life find that entering a retirement facility is the best choice for them. This type of assisted living not only can help to make sure that everything is taken care of properly, it can also give them choices that they do not have available when they are living on their own. What are some of those choices and what can an assisted living community do for you?

Perhaps one of the primary reasons why people enter into a retirement facility is to make sure that they are taken care of properly. They don’t want to give up their independence, however, so they make sure that they choose a facility that offers assisted living instead of full-time care. This allows them to have access to the amenities that are necessary, such as healthcare and regular meals, while at the same time, allowing them to move about freely. This freedom is further seen through the transportation that is available through the retirement facility. By having access to that transportation, they are able to get to their appointments as well as to do any shopping that is necessary for their everyday needs.