Senior adults get stressed for a variety of reasons. It ranges from financial losses to the loss of friends and family to physical limitations. Remember, they aren’t as strong as before. Their bodies don’t have the same agility as when they were young. This causes a lot of stress because they have to face the fact that they are no longer as healthy as they once were.
Families usually leave their senior members in a senior care facility, believing that the facility will have more time, energy, and resources to care for their loved ones. While this is true, some care facilities can also cause a lot of stress to seniors. That’s why it’s important to include the senior adults in the decision-making process of choosing which senior care facility is right for them. Even if they are not the ones who will shoulder the expenses, they have as much right about their futures as the ones who will pay for the facility.
So what causes stress in seniors when they are in these care facilities? Does it have something to do with the available activities there or perhaps, the other residents? How about the kind of services they receive? What are the most common stressors for seniors?
Services
What are the services currently being offered in the care facility? Do these services fit the needs of your loved ones? Some seniors need special care such as assistance when they are taking a bath or going from one place to another. That’s why there are different levels of care facilities. The idea is that there’s a specific facility for what the senior members of your family need. Take the time to gauge the abilities of these facilities to provide the services your loved ones need.
You will notice if the services are lacking when you visit the care facility regularly. Something as simple as a slow billing process will give you a hint about the quality of services there. If they still don’t use health billing services from qualified providers, then start questioning the facility’s inability to keep up with modern equipment, procedures, and devices.
Residents
Some co-residents are nice, but some are plain rude and abusive. Yes, senior care facilities are a bit like schools, too. There are nice guys and bullies. There are friendly residents, but there are also residents who talk behind others’ backs. Meanness doesn’t dim with age. Some people enjoy inflicting pain on others. Just because they are older doesn’t mean they’ll suddenly be nice to everyone.
When senior loved ones don’t get along with his/her co-residents, it will affect the quality of their lives in the facility. Think of it this way: will you want to attend school if your classmates are bullying or annoying you? But if you get along with them well, you would’ve looked forward to going to school every morning, right? It’s the same thing when living in a senior care facility. Whom they’re spending time with matters.
Staff
And what about the staff? Are they kind to the residents? Do they make time for them? How the staff treats the residents is one of the most important factors you have to look into when picking the care facility for your senior family members. Remember that residents will rely on the staff for many of the things they need while living there—from medications to general getting around the facility and even when venturing outside for other tasks and activities. You have to make sure your loved ones are getting along well with the staff, and that they enjoy the company of these people.
Activities
What kind of activities is available there? Can they even pursue their passions and interests? The young and mid-career workers are not the only ones who need to value the quality of how they spend their days. Because senior adults feel their mortality at this stage in their lives, they are concerned about pursuing their interests. They want to do things they haven’t done before or the things that they enjoy. If the care facility cannot provide such quality activities, that could be a reason why the residents are stressed or why some are even depressed.
Senior adults are not idly waiting for death to come to them. That’s the worst thing that their loved ones can do—neglect their well-being and the value they put in their days. If you find out your senior loved ones are stressed in the care facility, then find out the reason why and try to address these. You, above all others, should prioritize their happiness.
