Finding assisted living for couples takes a bit of research, but we’ve put together our best recommendations on how to choose the perfect assisted living community that accommodates the needs of aging couples.
While it’s common for single adults to move into assisted living communities, there are plenty of couples who also decide to move into one together. There are many reasons why couples decide to move into these state-of-the-art communities. One of the most common is downsizing their responsibilities, such as taking care of their home and yard, allowing them to live a hassle-free lifestyle.
Other times, couples move into assisted living together because they begin to need more help completing their activities of daily living. While it’s common for one spouse or a child to act as a caretaker, couples can gain more peace of mind knowing they’re surrounded by a caring support staff and immersed in a rich, social atmosphere.
If your parents, spouse, or loved ones need differing levels of care, you’ll want to make sure they find a community that accommodates them both. This way they can stay together in the same community and be able to continue spending quality time together as they age in place.
Considerations for Planning to Move into Assisted Living
Some assisted living communities’ floor plans only allow for one person per room. However, there are many communities that accommodate couples that feature larger bedrooms with a shared bed, or suites that allow for multiple roommates. Before deciding on a community, ensure that they allow couples to live in the same apartment or room if preferred.
Besides rooming situations, you’ll also want to check out what amenities the community will offer. If your parents want a break from cooking, are there dining services available? What are the options? Most importantly, you’ll also want to know what care they will receive, such as what medical, nursing and rehabilitation services are provided.
Depending on your parents’ or the couple’s preferences, think about their current and future needs to see if they’ll be happy staying in the community.
Benefits of Couples Living in Assisted Living
One of the most positive aspects of assisted living communities is its rich social atmosphere. Regular social contact has been proven to decrease or slow down the chances of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia. In addition, regular social interaction also promotes mental well-being and can prevent depression, allowing your loved ones to live a longer, happier life.
For these reasons, it’s crucial to find a community with an active life enrichment program. Life enrichment programs usually include an active event calendar filled with events, such as shopping outings, exercise classes, fun games and competitions, workshops, and discussions.
As a couple living together in the same community, they can share the same friends and easily participate in the same activities, strengthening and reinforcing their special bond.
Differing Levels of Care for Couples
One of the most pressing questions about couples living in assisted living is “What happens when one spouse begins to need more care than the other?” For instance, one spouse is still in relatively good health and only needs assisted living care, while the other spouse develops Alzheimer’s or dementia and needs more extensive memory care.
Finding a community that can continue to accommodate a couple’s changing needs is essential to allow couples to age in place, together. For this reason, many assisted living communities also include a memory care neighborhood, to be able to provide individualized care for all residents that will meet the unique needs of each couple. Having both assisted living and memory care also preserves the familiarity of a comfortable routine and allows couples to participate in the same dining services, activities, and spend quality time together.
Finding the Right Time to Move Couples into Assisted Living
It’s common for one spouse to become the caretaker of their other spouse, which can unfortunately lead to caretaker burnout. When one person becomes the caretaker of another, it can lead to emotional exhaustion and neglect of one’s own health, which in turn can have a negative effect on their health.
Couples moving into assisted living will be surrounded by a loving and caring support staff of nurses, physicians, life enrichment directors, and friendly faces to help ease the burden of caretaking.
Instead of depending on their spouse or other family members to help them complete their daily activities, a senior loved one can depend on the professional community’s support staff to ease the burden, and to allow loved ones to enjoy a hassle-free lifestyle.
Sometimes a parent couple can be resistant to the idea of moving out of their home, but be open with your parents about how moving into an assisted living community can improve their lives and provide them with a healthier and happier environment where both spouses will be taken care of based on their individual needs.
The Kensington Promise
The Kensington Redondo Beach is both an assisted living community and memory care residence located in the beautiful, sunny Redondo Beach area.
Our community is designed to be a home for individuals and couples who need assisted living, memory care, or both to allow them to age in place together.
When one spouse needs memory care, and the other needs assisted living, we offer the support that meets the need of each individual and couple. Our solution is simple — we welcome them both to make our home their home!
At The Kensington Redondo Beach, we aim to provide the ideal home for couples to preserve pastime and familiar routines, making our residents feel at home with a loving and caring family of staff.
Families can feel relieved knowing their parents and loved ones will be taken care of in a community filled with licensed nurses on-site 24 hours a day, a physician on-site, on-site physical therapy, a fitness center, medical administration services provided, a life enrichment program, and all day dining services.
We extend our Kensington Promise to your parents and loved ones to love and care for your family as we do our own. Our care model is built around families for families. We offer our support to the unique needs of each individual, even when they’re half the couple.
Would you like to learn more about our assisted living floor plans or amenities offered? Contact us today for more information on our community and services provided.