Michigan is home to over two million people aged 60 and over.
Seeing this number highlights the need for senior independent living options across the state. If you’ve got a loved one beginning to show signs of aging, they could really benefit from the right type of care. Independent living communities exist to give our seniors a life of leisure in their golden years.
Nevertheless, transitioning into a senior living community can be overwhelming for everyone involved. Today, we’ll help ease the burden by giving you a short guide to independent living for seniors in Michigan City.
The more you know about the offerings of senior living communities, the less in the dark you’ll feel when choosing one. Keep reading and we’ll explain how different communities work and what your loved one can look forward to when they make the move into senior care.
Senior Living Communities, Explained
Before you can start to learn about the benefits of senior living, you need to understand the services on offer. There are different types of senior living geared towards different senior needs.
If your loved one is a relatively healthy senior who might benefit from downsizing and spending time around peers, an independent living community is the move. Michigan City retirement homes provide a low-maintenance lifestyle where things like chores and cooking are taken care of.
For those who are dealing with moderate health issues that affect mobility, assisted living is a better choice. These communities have 24/7 staff available to help residents with their unique needs, such as bathing, cleaning, and taking medications.
People suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia – conditions that affect seven million Americans – need memory care. This is a specialized service offered through some assisted living communities. Staff are specifically trained to help residents deal with their challenging and evolving symptoms.
Matching the right type of care with your loved one’s needs is the best way to maximize their time in senior living.
Benefits of Senior Living
There are countless benefits to senior living, but we’ll break it down into more generalized terms. In senior living, residents enjoy improved physical, emotional, and cognitive health.
Physical Health Benefits
A good community will offer amenities and activities that prioritize the physical health of residents. Seniors need around 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week to help avoid unnecessary weight gain, osteoporosis, and other conditions.
The daily activity calendar will feature a variety of healthy activities for residents to participate in. These might include things like Tai Chi, yoga, leisure sports, and walking around the grounds.
In terms of amenities, every community is different. If fitness is important to your loved one, you can seek out a community with a fitness center or outdoor areas to explore.
Emotional Health Benefits
These same activities and amenities boost the emotional health of residents as well. A major concern among senior populations is social isolation. This can lead directly to feelings of depression and anxiety which make daily life exhausting.
Activities in senior living are always done in groups. On any given day, your loved one could be partaking in activities with different groups of peers. In this sense, they’ll always have an opportunity to build relationships with their fellow residents.
Cognitive Health Benefits
Senior living communities prioritize this by offering activities and events to boost cognition among residents. It could be a weekly puzzle night or an occasional music performance. There’s always something going on in senior living and your loved one will always be engaged mentally.
How to Choose Independent Living for Seniors in Michigan City
There are many more specific benefits of senior living. What benefits your loved one experiences will depend on the quality of the community. Here are a few tips for choosing an independent living community in Michigan City.
Location
Choosing a community close to home is important for the transition into senior care. Your loved one will feel less like a fish out of water if they recognize the local area and its landmarks.
A nearby community also makes it easier for friends and family to visit. This is essential for easing the transition, especially in those first few weeks and months.
Reputation
Always look at testimonials from loved ones of current and former residents before booking senior living tours. These people can tell you so much about daily life in a community that you’d never learn about otherwise.
What you really want from reviews is to find red flags. This can help you eliminate certain candidates to make finding the perfect community much simpler.
Staff Qualifications
When touring different communities, one of the things you should fixate on is the staff. These are the people who will be caring for your loved one, especially if it’s an assisted living or memory care community.
Observe how staff interact with residents. Do they do so in a caring, compassionate way or is it cold and indifferent? You want the staff to treat your loved one like they’re family.
Dining
Nutrition is an essential aspect of senior health. Seniors need to get the right types of vitamins and nutrients to remain healthy and avoid unnecessary illnesses.
Find a community that offers high-quality in-house dining. The restaurant should have an ever-changing menu of delicious and nutritious meals that take cooking off of your loved one’s plate.
Safety/Security
The safety and security of a community matter for a couple of reasons. All seniors are at risk of injuring themselves if they have a fall. You want the community to have the right accessibility features and safety protocols to protect against and respond to potential injuries.
If your loved one has Alzheimer’s or dementia, there’s also the risk of wandering. A memory care community should keep an eye on its residents to prevent anyone from getting lost.
Choose Rittenhouse Village at Portage for Your Loved One
The perfect independent living for seniors in Michigan City is right under your nose. Rittenhouse Village at Portage offers all of the perks and amenities discussed here and so much more.
Our community can accommodate all seniors regardless of their health needs. Our SHINE® Memory Care program is nationally recognized and all of our activities and amenities are designed with health and wellness in mind.
Contact us today to book a tour and see the community for yourself.
