All that shines isn’t gold; the same goes for senior living facilities. Not all senior living facilities are as good as they look, and you shouldn’t take the red flags lightly. It probably isn’t if your intuition tells you something isn’t right.
When you visit different senior living facilities for your loved one, you’ll come across some of the strongest sales pitches that are just too convincing to ignore. But it would be best never to base your decisions on these sales pitches. It will help if you let your observation and wisdom guide you toward the right decision. After all, your loved one and their health are at stake.
We’ve listed some questionable traits of senior living facilities that you shouldn’t overlook. Let’s see what these are:
1. Excessive Independence
If you make someone feel they aren’t any good on their own, they’ll eventually start believing it and relying on you for even the things they can do on their own. Based on this, many senior living facilities may give their seniors independence so they believe they’re still strong and capable. While this ideology is good, if you see the facility has given too much independence to its residents, take it as a red sign.
If you see seniors going up and down the stairs on their own, lifting their belongings themselves, bathing without a caretaker around, or working in the kitchen alone, know that their safety isn’t being taken seriously at the facility.
2. Overworked or Overly Relaxed Staff
If you observe that the staff looks stressed or overworked or they look too relaxed as if they’ve got nothing to do, dig in further. Why does the staff look stressed? Is the facility understaffed? Why are so many staff members on their phones? Don’t they have any work? You should be alarmed in both these cases. A facility that’s adequately staffed and the staff appears responsible and active is what you should look for.
3. Staff Lacks Empathy
The staff of senior living facilities should be empathetic and considerate. Looking after seniors isn’t easy. The caretakers must talk to the seniors nicely but also be firm at times, like when the residents refuse to take meals or medicines. However, if you notice that the staff is irritable and edgy and their tone lacks softness and compassion, you should know that your dear one wouldn’t be happy at the facility.
4. The Facility isn’t Well-Maintained
A senior living facility may be known for its extraordinary services, but the reputation is questionable if it isn’t maintained well. How a senior living facility is maintained says a lot about the management and the quality of services they’ll offer. If you think the curb appeal of a senior living facility isn’t important, you’re highly mistaken.
Closing Word
Just because you’ve heard good things about a senior living facility doesn’t mean you should enroll your loved ones blindly. Visit the facility yourself and observe closely. Don’t disregard any odd thing you see.
You can visit Inspirit Senior Living if you’re looking for a senior living facility that goes the extra mile to make the senior residents feel at home. We don’t say it, but we do it too. You can come and see for yourself.
