How to Talk to Your Senior About Assisted Living

March 8, 2012 - PRLog -- DULUTH, Ga. – Plantation South Duluth (www.plantationsouthduluth.com), a senior living residential community in Duluth, is offering advice to caregivers who may be wondering how to speak to the seniors in their lives about assisted living options.
“Adult children naturally want their parents to receive high quality care and many believe the best thing they can do for them is to keep them home as long as possible,” says Susan Tidwell, executive director at Plantation South Duluth. “But often the best level of care can be provided at a senior living facility with skilled staff and a wide range of amenities and activities.”  
According to Tidwell, caregivers should watch for these signs in their loved ones that indicate that it might be time to consider a senior living community:
•   Decline in hygiene and/or mobility
•   Poor eating habits or loss of appetite
•   Poor memory or memory loss
•   Lack of socialization, inactivity, boredom or depression
•   Severe mood swings
•   Sleep disruption or excessive sleeping

“For those who are having trouble making a decision about senior living, some communities offer services that allow prospective residents to ‘test drive’ the community first,” says Tidwell. “Services like respite care can allow seniors to check in for a short stay before making a longer term decision and help ease into a conversation about full time assisted living options.”
Respite care also offers a break for caregivers, allowing them to enjoy time to themselves and attend to other obligations. Caregivers and seniors can also benefit from senior day and dusk-to-dawn programs for seniors who are not ready for full-time care. Senior day programs allow seniors to spend a few, or as many as 12, hours at the community to enjoy social opportunities, dining and a wide range of activities, avoiding the loneliness and isolation created when the primary caregiver is at work.  Dusk-to-dawn programs offer overnight accommodations for seniors with sleep disturbances, confusion, Alzheimer’s or wandering habits.  
“When considering senior living communities, family members should look for communities that offer levels of care that can be customized to each resident’s needs and adjusted as their needs change,” Tidwell. “And in addition to quality care, caregivers should also look for a community with a warm, home-like environment that residents truly enjoy.”
Plantation South Duluth will host a seminar on how to talk to your parents about assisted living options on March 28, 2012 at 6 p.m. at their facilities, 3450 Duluth Park Ln, Duluth, Ga. 30096. Residents and community members are welcome and refreshments will be served. For more information, please contact (678) 534-5075.

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About Plantation South Duluth
Plantation South Duluth (www.plantationsouth-duluth.com) is a senior living residential community with 61 rooms in Duluth, Ga. Plantation South Duluth has spacious studio apartments in three different floor plans and offers 24-hour staffing and amenities such as a salon, billiards room, activities room and a private dining room.

About Senior Management Advisors, Inc.
Senior Management Advisors (SMA) (www.seniormanagementadvisors.com) is a leading operator of full service independent living, assisted living and Alzheimer’s care residential communities in Florida and Georgia. SMA specializes in rejuvenating and stabilizing senior living communities for owners, financial institutions, private investors and government agencies. SMA’s services include consultation, management, development and renovation of residential communities.

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