Finding the Right Assisted Living Community for Your Loved Ones

As your parents get older, there may come a time when it’s clear they would lead a safer, healthier, and more productive life by transitioning from their current home to an assisted living community. But how do you handle the many issues surrounding such a move? It’s complicated. And emotional. There are lots of choices, and a host of questions. In this episode, Julie Wexler, who has spent more than 25 years in a variety of eldercare settings, walks us through the process — step by step — of finding the right community for your parents. Julie, the Director of Business Development for The Bristal Assisted Living, spells out the spectrum of housing options, describing different kinds of services, care, amenities, and lifestyle features that individual communities may offer. How do you assemble a list of potential places, and are there professionals and other resources to help you assess the best fit for your parents? Then there’s the continuing Covid question: What factors should we consider and what questions should we ask about health and safety protocols when we visit prospective communities? Making the transition to assisted living can often be hard on the entire family, but by being proactive and not waiting for a crisis, the move can offer an exceptionally positive experience, creating a new sense of independence, better health and social engagement for our loved ones. Indeed, Julie believes that all seniors, even as the face the physical challenges of aging, deserve to live a full, active, supportive, and meaningful life.