South Carolina is home to nearly 469,000 seniors, according to the state’s Department on Aging.
If you’ve got a loved one in Charleston who is aging out of their current living situation, they could benefit greatly from an assisted living lifestyle. Charleston has countless senior communities that might be suitable for your loved one’s needs, so how do you pick the right one?
Transitioning into assisted living can be overwhelming for everyone involved, not least of all the people making the transition. Today, we’re going to explain what to look for in the best assisted living community in Charleston.
There’s a lot you have to consider in this decision, but if you make the right one, it’ll give your loved one a more positive retirement. Keep reading and find out what factors to consider.
Find Out What They Need in Senior Care
As mentioned, there are different types of senior care. Which one you choose for your loved one will depend on their health and needs. Choosing the right type of care is paramount in making the transition to senior care worthwhile.
Independent living is the most basic form of senior care for healthy seniors. The main perk of this type of transition is that your loved one gets to downsize their responsibilities and lifestyle. When they’re in the community, they’ll enjoy a bustling social life, surrounded by their peers.
When your loved one has more pressing health concerns and needs, they’re better suited for assisted living. This type of community has staff available 24/7 to help with individual residents’ needs, whether it’s bathing, taking medication, or dressing.
For seniors with Alzheimer’s or dementia – conditions that affect 6.9 million Americans – memory care is the choice. This offers the same services as assisted living, but staff are highly trained in dealing with the complex challenges of cognitive decline.
Now that you know what types of senior care are available, you can sit down with your family to assess your loved one’s needs.
What to Look for In Senior Care
Even within the different categories of senior care, there are many different types of communities. Each one offers something unique to its residents, but there are also universal services that you’ll want to see. Here are a few of the most important criteria to prioritize in your search.
Location
Firstly, finding a community nearby is crucial. We’ve already mentioned the transition to assisted living – it’s not easy, even when you choose the perfect community.
It’s made much easier when your loved one is still in familiar surroundings. A community that’s nearby also makes it easier for loved ones to visit, which greatly helps the transition as well.
Good Reputation
When you start searching for local assisted living, the first thing to do is type, “best senior communities near me” into Google. This will give you all of your options in Charleston. From there, you need to ascertain which communities have the best reputation by looking at reviews.
Ratings and reviews from loved ones of current and former residents can tell you so much. The most important information they’ll provide is actually red flags about the community and the people working there. Red flags allow you to eliminate communities from contention, leaving you with the top options.
Experienced Staff
When you start touring the top senior communities, there are various things to look out for. Something you can’t overlook is how compassionate and qualified the staff are to care for the residents.
In independent living, staff are there to help clean and assist with tasks around the community. When you move into assisted living, however, the staff becomes much more integral to the residents’ quality of life.
They’ll be intimately involved in helping them with daily living, so you need staff to be experienced and happy to help. In terms of memory care, staff need even more training to deal with the evolving challenges of cognitive decline. Try to speak to staff members to get a sense of how they operate with residents.
Good Amenities
Often, it’s the community’s amenities that establish the assisted living lifestyle. If your loved one has particular interests, they’ll lean toward the community that satisfies those interests.
Some communities offer large gardens and outdoor space, while others have pools, spas, and entertainment rooms. In addition, the rooms themselves must be an important consideration. Look into all of these things to determine which community has the most suitable amenities for your loved one.
In-House Dining
The in-house dining at an assisted living community matters as well. In advanced age, eating a balanced diet with all of the necessary nutrients becomes more and more important.
A community dining program should have a rotating menu of tasty and healthy meals for residents to enjoy. Some communities may have kitchenettes which will allow your loved one to keep their favorite snacks in their apartment home.
Choose the Best Assisted Living Community in Charleston
By prioritizing the above, you should be able to find a great assisted living community for your loved one. Doing your due diligence will make the transition to senior care for your loved one. What can make it even more seamless is choosing the best-assisted living community in Charleston.
TerraBella James Island is Charleston’s top choice for assisted living and respite care. Our staff is highly trained, compassionate, and available 24/7 to help residents with whatever they need. We offer amazing amenities, activities, and in-house dining to prioritize your loved one’s health.
To learn more about our community or to schedule a tour of the building and grounds, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
