With the number of residents in assisted living communities rising, administrators are looking into bringing medical care closer to home. House calls and ambulance rides can be hefty, and the lag time between calling the hospital and receiving care can be potentially dangerous as well. For these reasons and more, medical care in Mechanicsville, VA assisted living homes is vital for your loved one. Having on-site medical assistance not only helps cut costs but also prioritizes your loved one’s safety. But did you know that only about half of assisted living communities have nurses or a medical team on call 24/7?
Today’s Assisted Living Residents: A Medical Profile
Most residents in today’s assisted living communities are over the age of 85, and a majority of this number require assistance with bathing. Half of this number requires assistance with dressing, and a fifth will need help with eating. Many suffer from memory-related diagnoses such as Alzheimer’s and will thus need memory care. A significant number also have to deal with various forms of cognitive impairment.
Given these statistics, having on-site medical care just makes sense for any assisted living community. We want our residents to have the best, which means taking care of their health around the clock.
Medical Care On-Site
While it is vexing for your loved one to be transported from their assisted living community to a hospital, a hospital stay itself can also present an issue. Hospitalization can be stressful, and your loved one can be exposed to an infection during their stay itself. Having medical care present at an assisted living community means that your loved one gets to be treated and recuperate in an environment that is familiar and personalized, which can help deter stress and anxiety, as well as encourage healing in a smaller, easier-to-manage environment.
Negotiating Medical Care
It is true that having full-time medical care in an assisted living community raises costs, but the payoff is more than worth it. Having medical care on-site reduces the risks of outsourcing medical assistance for residents, is better for residents’ peace of mind, and can also be helpful for residents’ health and healing. In the average course of a year, your loved one may be exposed to common illnesses, diseases, and injuries, such as:
- Chest pain
- Common cold and flu
- Trips and falls
- Mood swings
- Chest pains
All of these are fairly common. Having a medical team on-site at your loved one’s assisted living community can give you the peace of mind of knowing that your loved one will be receiving the best medical care should any of these issues befall them.
Taking Care of Our Residents
Offering residents access to medical care that they need and deserve should be something that any assisted living community strives for. Aside from a focus on physical health, communities should not neglect their residents’ emotional and mental well-being. Holistic health and wellness programs that safeguard and ensure physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being are a hallmark of an exceptional assisted living community.
