Helpful information about Senior Living in Atlanta, Georgia

The Basics of Dementia and What To Do

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What is Dementia?
Dementia is a term for describing a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. It’s not a specific disease but an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common and accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases.

How do you know if someone has Dementia?
There is no one test to determine if people have Dementia but they will have symptoms of memory loss. There are multiple stages of Dementia which mean there are different stages of symptoms.

Common symptoms of Dementia?

  • Memory loss
  • Loss of communication and language
  • Inability to focus and pay attention
  • Loss of reasoning and judgment
  • Fuzzy visual perception

What causes Dementia?
Dementia is caused by damaged brain cells. This damage will interfere with the ability of brain cells to communicate with each other. When they cannot communicate normally, thinking, behavior and feelings can be affected.

If you have a loved one with Dementia and you’re looking for Assisted Living options in Atlanta, contact us here.

Atlanta assisted living

A Little About Us!

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About Safe Haven – Decatur Assisted Living
Safe Haven is a luxury assisted living home in Atlanta, Georgia. We give seniors as much independence as possible while still providing assistance where it’s needed. Family-owned and operated, Safe Haven of Atlanta offers a unique combination of personalized supportive senior and elder care service as well as assisted living housing.

Choosing Safe Haven
Our area of expertise is Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes management and other forms of dementia. Many seniors prefer to stay a home setting rather than go to a community or facility. There are many adults who are unable to care for their own daily needs which is what makes our assisted living home in Decatur so important. We have six private Luxury Senior Living suites available, either furnished or unfurnished, at both of our Atlanta Assisted Living homes.

Highest Standards
All of our certified assisted living caregivers, managers, and nurses are thoroughly screened to ensure that they are above industry standards. We look for not only skills and experience in elderly care, but personality as well. In addition, our employees receive periodic retraining so that they continue to excel in the assisted living community.

If you need additional information from us at Safe Haven, please let us know. We look forward to serving you and your loved ones.
Contact us at 904-232-4407 or click here to schedule a tour! 

Monitoring Our Loved Ones in Senior Living

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What Do We Do If We Suspect Our Loved Ones Are Not Being Properly Treated?

Senior living facilities provide the elderly with help when it comes to completing routine tasks such as bathing, grooming, toileting, etc. The kind of services on offer differs from facility to facility. The residence staff is entrusted with the responsibility to care for the senior residents in the facility. However, in case you suspect improper treatment towards your loved one, there are a few steps of action you may take.

 Visit Often and Become a Part of the Facility’s Family Council

Frequently visiting your loved ones will not only make them happy, but also help you ensure that they are being treated in the right manner. When you catch up with your loved ones, find out if they are receiving proper treatment from the staff. Ask them if they have any concerns regarding anything at the facility. If they do, you can consult the staff and request them to address the problem.

You could also join the facility’s family council if you want to make a significant difference. These councils are set up with the objective of ensuring protection and improving the quality of life of the people residing in the facility. Joining the council will help you directly address your concerns to the facility’s Director of Nurses and/or Administrator.

Choose all the Required Services

Before your loved one moves into the senior living facility, make sure that all the services he/she requires are communicated with the staff. Sometimes residents ask for services that they had previously rejected. Unless your loved one is sick or unable to physically perform a task, facilities are strict about the delivery of their services. However, if your loved one is a victim of biased and unfair treatment from the staff, you must thoroughly understand the kind of abuse he/she has suffered.

The kinds of problems residents may encounter at senior living facility include physical abuse, emotional/verbal abuse, and neglect or lack of care. Signs of physical abuse may include physical restraint of an unreasonable nature, deprivation of water and food, giving them more medication than required, or less than required, forcing the elderly to remain in his/her room, unexplained injuries, etc. Emotional or verbal abuse may include humiliating the elderly, threatening or insulting them, and ignoring their friends and family. Abuse due to negligence includes the staff’s lack of care towards the resident’s medical problems, bed sores, disregard for offering help in daily activities, etc.

 

Keeping Track of Loved Ones in Senior Living

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How Can We Monitor Our Loved Ones In An Senior Living Home?

If your parents or other elderly relatives are making their transition into an senior living facility, the process can be rather difficult for them. It is your duty to support and encourage them if they are to enjoy their stay at the facility. Senior citizens can be reluctant to move into senior living residences due to unfamiliarity with the place and the people. It is also true that they will not settle in right away. However, with your help, support, and encouragement, they can find it easier to adapt to their new residence.

Visit Them and Help in Making Friends and Acquaintances

A good number of senior citizens who enter senior living facilities often display disinterest in their new surroundings. Some just sit around in their rooms all day long without engaging in any social activities. If your parents are not loquacious individuals and need help making friends and acquaintances, or are reluctant to make the first move, you can assist them by talking to other residents, or asking the staff about those who may share similar interests as your loved one and introducing them to each other. Socializing in senior living facilities will help your parents get to know people with whom they can spend time during the day. They can engage in various pastime activities that will help them adapt to their new environment with relative ease.

Check with the Authorities

If you want to ensure that your loved one is properly cared for in an senior living facility, you must talk to the wardens, nurses, and other staff members, and ask them if they have any issues concerning your loved one. Also ask them if your loved one is socializing with the other residents or is just idle and alone all the time. Encourage the staff to help your loved one mingle with others in common areas, and to engage in group activities, as this will help them find a new place they can call home. Likewise, if your loved one is unhappy about something at the facility, you must request the staff to make necessary adjustments.

If your loved one is in regular need of medical attention, and the administration is outside the facility’s jurisdiction, you must drive them to their doctor to ensure that their condition is monitored. The first few weeks can be difficult for your loved one and yourself, but as time passes, you will realize that the move worked out best for both parties.

 

Getting Admitted Into Senior Living

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What Qualifications Are Considered When Applying to Move Into Senior Living?

Senior citizens who wish to move into senior living facilities are admitted only if certain criteria are met. Residents of each apartment or room should accept responsibility for their environment and themselves either independently, or with the help of a family member or caregiver. The facility’s residency requirements must be fulfilled and additional services that are not offered by the residence must be arranged for. Age restrictions do not apply for qualification into an senior living facility, but most residents are usually above 65 years of age.

Functional Criteria

Senior citizens who enter senior living facilities must meet all functional criteria if they wish to stay in such residences. Their mobility care must be discussed before they move into the facility. Residents must inform the staff if they will require motorized scooters, ambulation, wheelchairs, or any other reasonable means of transport. Similarly, family members or caregivers of applicant residents must confirm all the activities that the individual can perform independently and those activities where assistance will be required. Daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, etc. are senior. Even meals are provided by senior living facilities, so make sure that you have carefully ticked all the right boxes in the application form.

Senior living facilities must know if a potential resident is under medication, and whether he/she will require assistance with medication administration. The qualifications for residents of senior living facilities will vary from state to state and residence to residence. Family members or caregivers must read through and understand all the regulations of a facility prior to enrollment.

Behavioral Criteria

Residents are expected to exhibit consistently correct behavior when living in a congregation. They must ensure that no risk is posed to other residents’ well-being and safety along with their own. While housekeeping is usually the responsibility of the facility, residents must play their part in keeping their apartments/rooms in order at all times. One of the most concerning criteria established by most American senior living facilities involves smoking. Senior care Atlanta services are ready if you live in the area.

Most residences have locations where residents can smoke. Smoking in ‘no-smoking’ zones is a serious offense in senior living facilities. If your loved one is obsessed with the butt, encourage them to kick it before they make the big move. If they can’t, then make sure that they adhere to the rules and puff only in the designated areas.

Residents must also effectively communicate with the facility’s staff regarding their wants and needs. They must never exhibit verbally or physically abusive behavior to staff, other tenants, or visitors.

If your loved one is able to meet the following criteria with ease, there is little doubt that the residence will welcome them to the facility with arms wide open!

Dealing with the Guilt When Moving Loved Ones into Senior Living

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How to Deal with the Guilt When Moving Loved Ones into Senior Living

If you have an elderly loved one who is going to begin a new phase of his/her life in an senior living facility, anxious emotions could well be running rings around the family. In most cases, senior citizens are reluctant to relocate to senior living residences for lack of familiarity with surroundings and people. However, serious consideration will help you realize that their move is for the best, and in times like these, it is only normal for the family members to feel guilt.

Manage Your Emotions

It is very important for you to keep calm and display composure throughout the whole process – right from the time the decision is made until the senior person moves into his/her new residence. There is no doubt that parents and children need each other, but there comes a point in time when both parties will have to get used to living without each other. If you cannot provide your parents or related elderly individuals with the level of care you wish to, senior living facilities can do the job for you. These facilities ensure that your parents or relatives receive the highest quality of care and assistance with anything they may require.

Comfort the Elderly

If your parent is uncertain about how the move is going to pan out, it is your responsibility to assure them that everything will work out just fine. Talk to them about the facility, the kind of services available, and ways in which they can keep themselves entertained at their new residence. You must also encourage them to mingle with the other residents living in the facility, and to make acquaintances and friends. Instead of burying the guilt, you could take alternative measures to compensate for what you believe is not your best moment. Consult the staff working at the facility and find out about the various options available for senior citizens to make their stay a happy one. Providing your loved one with emotional assistance will help you feel better about making the decision to relocate them.

Pay Regular Visits

The best way to show your affection towards your loved one is to visit them as often as you can during the initial stages of their transition. However, it is advised that you don’t pop up every now and then as this will not allow them to independently find other residents to spend time with. You can also bring your children, if any, friends, or other family members who they like spending time with.

Although moving into an senior living facility can be difficult, time heals all wounds. In a matter of months, your guilt will have taken the highway and your loved one will have settled just fine.