Assisted Living Tips From Fauquier Health

Jan. 31, 2011 - PRLog -- WARRENTON, Va. — Sometimes it takes winter’s snow and ice to highlight that an older person living alone is at risk. It may become evident when a family member is confined to their home because they are afraid of falling on slippery sidewalks.

Sophia Cameron, community relations director at Fauquier Health’s new assisted living facility, The Villa at Suffield Meadows, offers tips to help families identify when it might be time to transition a loved one into an assisted living facility.

“Many families wait for something big to happen as an indicator that their family member can’t cope on their own,” said Cameron.  “They think that if they haven’t had a major car accident or wandered away from their house that they are able to live safely in their homes, but that isn’t always the case.”

Cameron counsels families to keep track of the smaller details to make the assessment about whether or not a person can live safely on their own.  Here are a few things to look for:

- Do their capabilities seem to deteriorate a little more each time you see them?
- Are they less able to take care of their personal hygiene and their home?
- Are they eating less and is there spoiled food in the refrigerator?
- Are they paying their bills on time?
- Are they only living in a few rooms of the house?

When people begin to have trouble managing their lives, they often get depressed and start to isolate themselves and become socially withdrawn. They get less mental stimulation and that creates a downward spiral. Cameron often asks families if they know what their loved one is doing all day with their time. Are they engaged with friends and family or volunteering, or are they sitting home all day watching television or wandering aimlessly around the house?

Even though most people don’t want to leave the comfort and familiarity of their homes, it becomes a mental health and physical health and safety issue.  

Cameron notes that assisted living is a relatively new concept. Many older people believe that their choices are  to go to a hospital when they are sick or to a nursing home or hospice at the end of their lives. They don’t always realize that they can join an assisted living community before they even need care. Many facilities have multiple levels of care and people can move among them as needed.  Some, like The Villa, have high-end amenities like beauty salons, movie theaters, planned outings, escorts to appointments, yoga and Thai chi classes, and massage.

“I find that the transition is much easier when people are healthy and can enjoy all the social opportunities in an assisted living community,” said Cameron.  “When people wait until they are very ill or mentally confused, it is more expensive, and they have a much harder time making the transition to assisted living.”

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About Fauquier Health: Fauquier Health is a non-profit community health system. Located at 500 Hospital Drive in Warrenton, Virginia, Fauquier Health serves the residents of Fauquier and several surrounding counties. It comprises: Fauquier Hospital, a fully accredited, 97-bed hospital; Fauquier Health Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, a 115-bed long-term care and rehabilitation facility; the Villa at Suffield Meadows, an assisted living facility; a Wound Healing Center and a medically supervised Wellness Center offering health and fitness programs. It also has a 50% ownership in two joint ventures: Fauquier Health Home Medical Store, a retail outlet offering medical, home health, and wellness supplies, and the Cancer Center at Lake Manassas, a state-of-the-art radiation treatment facility. In 2009, Fauquier Health provided $11.8 million in community benefit support to its community. More information on Fauquier Health is available online at http://www.fauquierhospital.org/.