How Senior Living Communities Provide a Safe Haven for Seniors?

Published on: 08 October 2024 Last Updated on: 29 October 2024

As senior citizens age, their energy, mobility, and cognitive abilities decline gradually. This increases the risk of the seniors tripping and falling or developing physical and mental health challenges.

The health and safety risks are higher if they are not in a safe environment or have nobody to care for them.

So, safety and peace of mind are priorities for seniors due to their vulnerability. This explains why many seniors move to retirement communities to enjoy freedom, comfort, and safety with their peers.

But how do senior living communities improve physical security and safety? Do they prioritize seniors’ emotional support and mental well-being? This article will discuss how senior living communities are a safe haven for seniors.

Safety Guidelines to Prevent Accidents

Families with elderly parents wonder if they should entrust the safety of their loved ones to senior living communities.

Moving to a senior living facility means transitioning to a new environment with new residents and caregivers. It also means changing the routine, which could increase safety risks.

However, the management of senior living homes and caregivers develop and follow comprehensive safety guidelines. Since preventing falls is a top priority in the facility, seniors do not have to worry about trip and fall or slip and fall accidents due to unsafe conditions.

The facility has nonslip floors, well-lit walkways, handrails to provide support, and mobility aids to prevent accidents.

Isolation is a common challenge for seniors in their homes, especially living alone at home. However, retirement homes provide social settings, such as standard rooms and dining halls.

This is a place where the residents meet and interact as they eat and watch television. Also, residents can engage in their favorite hobbies or adventure, which fosters social engagement.

Safety and Security Systems and Protocols

The leading senior living communities have security cameras and alarm systems to reduce the chances of something wrong happening to seniors.

The cameras are strategically installed to prevent intruders from accessing the facility and identify residents who might need help around the facility.

The entrances have access control systems that ensure only people with codes or keycards can enter the premises.

The caregivers and security guards undergo rigorous training to understand safety protocols and respond to emergencies appropriately. These measures reduce the risk of security and safety issues that could put seniors at risk.

Medical Management Services

Seniors with health problems might need medication at specific times daily. Since some have memory problems, they might struggle to take the appropriate medicine in the correct dosage. So, they might skip medication or take more than the prescribed dose.

Senior living communities understand the health risks associated with medical prescription issues; they have medical management systems in place.

For instance, they have reminders to help energetic seniors to take medication at the correct times. They also hire trained caregivers to help some take medication, thus ensuring consistency and reducing the risk of health complications.

Support Staff for Every Complicated Task

Some seniors need help with food preparation and cleaning tasks. They can avoid these tasks and allow caregivers and support staff to do everything for them.

Some senior communities also provide transport services to different places so the residents do not have to drive cars or struggle to use public transport.

Senior living facilities create a safe haven for seniors with diverse health and emotional needs. They observe safety protocols and create a social environment with trained staff to address the unique needs of the residents.

With these benefits in mind, seniors reluctant to move to a senior living community can now boldly welcome this hassle-free lifestyle.

Proper At-Home Safety Measurements For Seniors

The senior living community designs are specifically tailored for seniors. They consider things like single-floor living, wide doorways, and hallways, and they take a few steps to navigate to get in and out of the home.

Each of the communities has their own designs. You can find the home safety features such as:

Providing grip bars inside and outside of showers, bathtubs, and even toilets.
Ensuring there are no trip hazards or any objects where the seniors might get bumped into.
Raised toilets.
Keeping the paths illuminated with bright lights and windows.
Better flooring with advanced slip-resistant technology.
Proper safety lock facilities in pools and spas.
Unique electric controls with better access for wheelchairs.

Apart from these, there are some senior living communities that come with features like intercom access or emergency call systems. There are frequent wellness checks as well, which are mainly conducted by the staff.

Moreover, the communities also provide advanced care needs. They offer better assistance for bathing and moving, helping them to prevent any injuries or falls.

Ensuring Fewer Risks And More Convenience

Another way to help seniors stay safe is to provide a convenient and hassle-free lifestyle. You can find some communities, including dining room meals.

As we know, even basic tasks such as cooking can be dangerous at times. Thus, the seniors, along with their loved ones, seek out communities where they can get a proper home-cooked meal.

There are several other communities that provide services like housekeeping or transportation as well. Not being involved in cosmetic chores can help to decrease the chances of tripping or falling.

There are also some senior living communities that can provide on-site wellness clinics that help the seniors stay healthy. Senior communities with more advanced care need professionals 24/7. In such cases, wellness centers play a huge role.

Ensure better safety of your loved ones!

If you have a senior parent or parents staying in your home and you are concerned about their safety while they are living on their own, then it is time to consider the facilities of the senior living communities.

Start looking for it online, as there are many senior living communities that can provide a healthy lifestyle for seniors while ensuring their safety and keeping them away from harm.

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Deepanwita Dey

Deepanwita is a seasoned practitioner of ‘jumping the ship’. She started out her journey with literature and now holds a double graduation degree, one of which is in psychology. As a result, she is now using this skill to help confused job seekers to pick a direction. Given her academic background, her writing is laden with analytical analogies and deep research. As one of Content Rally’s most regular contributors, readers can find a sense of confidence in her writing.

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5 Best Online Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits

We live in what is perhaps the most unpredictable time of the century. There is a pandemic out on the streets and we have been forced to abandon our ways of interaction. Businesses have been forced to adapt almost overnight, bringing about a radical shift in operations. Nonprofits have also been forced to do the same. In just the last year the importance of fundraising platforms has risen exponentially. Fundraising has been the key to the operations of any and every nonprofit. Lately, the more commonly relied-on fundraising methods have been made redundant. A lot of nonprofits have been forced to go back to the drawing board and reevaluate ways to gather funds. Luckily the existence of text messaging platforms for nonprofit can easily get into the middle of it and utilize the same channels to make their ends meet. Why does online fundraising work? The reason is simple; we live in times where people are willing to lend out a helping hand, anywhere, anytime. Nonprofits simply need to host events online and let their donors know that they are very much active and are trying to make a difference in their communities irrespective of the condition. Sending your message across and showing them the work you are doing can appeal to all kinds of donors. Nonprofits can quickly adapt using fundraising platforms to reach out to donors and volunteers using the same methods that businesses rely upon. These channels have now become the normal way to work through and nonprofits have realized that they also need to be malleable. The pandemic has changed our understanding of what normal is and donors will be understanding. This is why hosting events, and especially fundraisers online has shown a lot of promise. Let us look at five great ideas you can use to supercharge your online fundraising campaign. Five great online fundraising ideas 1. Peer-to-peer fundraising The most innovative and proven way to raise funds online is through peer-to-peer fundraising. P2P fundraising accounts for nearly a third of every online donation. The idea is to use the credibility of your donors and their contacts to gather funds for your nonprofit. A great statistic is that ¼ emails sent by P2P fundraisers to their peers result in a donation. It might seem meager, but it is staggering when you compare it to the fact that 1/1250 emails from nonprofits result in a donation. Nonprofits can encourage donors to raise funds and run campaigns on their behalf. They can enlist the help of fundraising platforms to build their campaigns and send emails to their peers. Nonprofits can set up these directly on their websites. They can even use a personal appeal and a social sharing button on their website for direct encouragement. 2. Email flash fundraiser Another third of every donation made online comes through Emails. Yes, even in this day and age when instant messaging is the norm, E-mails more than do their part to raise funds. It is one of the older ways to gather funds and chances are your nonprofit has already finished its email fundraising campaign for the year. No worries, there are no limits to how many times you can leverage email fundraisers. A great idea would be to select a day and conduct an email fundraising blitz. You should not choose a popular day such as Tuesdays. Enough organizations are running Giving Tuesdays. Instead, choose a day that has symbolic importance to your organization or its cause. Your emails should build up a narrative that highlights your cause, the day, and a call to action. Urgency is the key and the better you express the need of the hour, the more likely you are to receive donations. You may go through: 8 High-Need Animal Shelter Donations 3. A drive for donation matching The idea behind donation matching is to encourage people to contribute, knowing that in the grand scheme of things the total donated amount will be big. Use the frenzy created by your flash email fundraising campaign to launch a drive for donation matching. You can secure a match from a company and advertise it in your email campaign. Donation matching is a good way to keep the interest afloat and to attract the younger crowd. Studies show that millennials are more likely to donate if they know companies are going to be matching their donation. Donation matching can also be used to boost a fundraiser. If there is a noticeable decline in the donations, launch a donation matching drive amid another campaign to acquire more funding. 4. Crowdfunding There is this misconception amongst nonprofits that crowdfunding is meant only for individuals. This fact could not be further from the truth. Nonprofits can use crowdfunding to amass a wealth of funds in a very short period. They can also use crowdfunding to appeal to a whole new group of donors. Through crowdfunding, nonprofits can gather funds for specific causes and projects. Nonprofits can easily set up a page on crowdfunding sites. They also have social sharing options to further promote your cause. PRO TIP: Before you choose a crowdfunding site, check if they have an easy-to-use UI, integration with compatible software, a mobile-friendly page, and space to tell your story. 5. Prospect research While this may not qualify as an idea as such, prospect research can help you land big philanthropists for your donation pool. Nonprofits can conduct thorough research to identify prospective donors. Doing so can help them focus on donors that can make a difference. Prospect research is especially important when it comes to online donors. The reason for that is online donations come in small amounts and it is hard to identify which donors can contribute in a big way. Research can help you land bigger donations. Final Thoughts These are just some of the ways you can maximize your donation pool through online fundraisers. By using the right tools and strategies your nonprofit will be back on its feet and perhaps, even run better than it did before. Read Also: Turn The Tables For Helpless Children With Car Donation In New Jersey

When Will Social Media Addiction Be Considered a Mental Health Condition?

Digital addiction is not a bona fide medical term - yet - but we are getting closer. The 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), released this June by the World Health Organization has introduced "Gaming disorder" as a true mental health condition. It has three categories - predominantly online, predominantly offline, and "unspecified" that covers pretty much every other disorder related to video games. Thus, video game addiction has officially become a mental health condition that can be diagnosed and treated by medical professionals. What will be next? Well, one of the things that might make it into the next edition of the IDC is social media addiction, a phenomenon increasingly discussed by medical professionals all over the world. What is social media addiction? Today, communication is done mainly through digital channels - especially social networks like Facebook and its Messenger app, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Snapchat, and many others. Aside from allowing people to keep in contact and up-to-date with the things their friends and acquaintances do, these digital channels also create a sense of belonging among their users. But just like with any other product out there, moderation is key. Excessive use of social media is known to have a negative impact on the health and well-being of users. And the young - usually, they are the most enthusiastic about new services and technologies - are the most exposed to these negative effects. A number of studies have been conducted to assess how excessive social media use affects the health of users. Many of them have reached the same conclusion - excessive social media use is associated with several psychological problems, ranging from depression and anxiety to ADHD and even addiction. This affects a minority of individuals but the effects are undeniable. Smartphone rehab and digital detox: The problem is big enough to prompt some in-depth studies and even treatment programs on the matter. A study conducted last year in the United Kingdom shows that kids as young as 12 have an issue maintaining a good balance between their "real" life and their digital one. At the same time, kids as young as 13 are reportedly being treated for "digital technology addiction" in the United States. There are "smartphone rehab" centers in many cities, offering recovery programs for teens unable to keep their use of digital devices under control. Sooner rather than later, excessive digital technology and social media use will be defined as a genuine mental disorder and be treated as such. Until then, be sure to be a good example for your kids, reduce your phone use, and schedule "tech-free" activities to keep phone use at bay. Read Also: Smartphone Addiction In Our Era How Smartphone Tracking Programs Assist Parents In Controlling Their Children

Discusses the Growing Problems of Living Alone

Researchers have concluded that living alone, being socially isolated, and feeling lonely can pose significant health risks, particularly in older adults. Although the terms living alone, social isolation and loneliness are often used interchangeably, they are not the same thing. Specifically, living alone and being socially isolated are objective determinations either that a person lives solo, or has few relationships or infrequent social contact. According to the Administration on Aging (a division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), nearly one-third (28%) of non-institutionalized adults 65 and older – 13.8 million people – live alone. Despite living alone, however, these adults may or may not be included within the category of social isolation depending on the nature of their relationships and the frequency of their social contacts. In contrast, loneliness is determined on a subjective basis. Loneliness is based on a person’s individual feelings of disconnectedness, isolation, or not belonging. Said differently, loneliness arises because of the divergence between a person’s desired level of social connection and the actual level of connection. To be clear, a person living alone may not necessarily feel lonely, whereas someone living with a number of other people may still experience loneliness. Risk Factors A recent survey of older adults determined that 43% feel lonely on a regular basis. More concerning is that among those who report feeling lonely, there is a 45% increased mortality risk. Steve Cole, the director of the Social Genomics Core Laboratory at UCLA, explains: “Loneliness acts as a fertilizer for other diseases. The biology of loneliness can accelerate the buildup of plaque in the arteries, help cancer cells grow and spread, and promote inflammation in the brain leading to Alzheimer’s disease. Loneliness promotes several different types of wear and tear on the body.” Research has established links between living alone, social isolation, and loneliness to a variety of physical and mental conditions, including high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, and even death. Indeed, a recent meta-analysis – representing cumulative evidence from 148 studies involving over 300,000 participants – determined that greater social connection is associated with a 50% reduced risk of early death. A second meta-analysis by the same researchers – representing cumulative evidence from 70 studies involving more than 3.4 million participants followed for an average of 7 years – similarly concluded that living alone (objective determination), social isolation (objective) and loneliness (subjective) each had a significant effect on the risk of mortality. Specifically, the analysis concluded that the likelihood of death increased a statistically significant 26% for loneliness, 29% for social isolation, and 32% for living alone. To put those risks in context, the researchers determined that the magnitude of risk is comparable to – and in some cases even exceeds – other well-accepted risk factors such as smoking (up to 15 cigarettes a day), obesity, lack of physical exercise and high blood pressure. Loneliness has also been associated with increased emergency admissions to a hospital, longer length of stays, and delayed discharges. In fact, a November 2017 study concluded that the lack of social contacts among older adults is associated with an estimated annual increase in Medicare spending of $6.7 billion. One Can Be the Loneliest Number, But it Doesn’t Have to Be Greg Bishop, an attorney in Park City, suggests that retirement is a great opportunity to develop the types of connections that can prevent or alleviate the health consequences of living alone, being socially isolated, or feeling lonely. He notes that although there is a general consensus about the potential problem areas, the solutions are more elusive. He explains that although living alone and being socially isolated are determined objectively, the underlying causes are overtly personal. For example, living alone may be the result of the death of a partner or because of a recent divorce, whereas being socially isolated may arise from relocating after retirement or from the children moving away. Given that the underlying causes vary drastically, the solutions for living alone, being socially isolated, and feeling lonely will also differ. In short, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to these issues. That said, older adults will likely benefit from the following suggestions: Proactively stay involved in the lives of your family and friends. Find meaningful ways to connect with them via video chats, phone calls, text messages and letters Establish new social connections – go to the gym, take a dance class, learn to play chess, or join a book club Establish a more meaningful relationship with a church or social groups Look for opportunities to help and serve others. Fred Rogers – the television icon from Mister Roger’s Neighborhood – shared that when he was a boy and saw scary things on the television news, his mother told him to “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” While that advice comforted him as a child, perhaps better advice for older adults dealing with social isolation and loneliness would be to “Look to be a helper. There are always people who are in need of help.” Read Also: Why Do You Need a Queens Personal Injury Attorney 6 Signs That You Need To Hire a Personal Injury Attorney Don’t Battle It All Alone: 5 Reasons Why You Need an Adoption Attorney These Four Qualities Are What You Should Be Looking For In Attorneys!

How Senior Living Communities Provide a Safe Haven for Seniors?

Safety Guidelines to Prevent Accidents

Safety and Security Systems and Protocols

Medical Management Services

Support Staff for Every Complicated Task

Proper At-Home Safety Measurements For Seniors

Ensuring Fewer Risks And More Convenience

Ensure better safety of your loved ones!

The Benefits Of Modular Classrooms In Education

Deepanwita Dey

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5 Best Online Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits

When Will Social Media Addiction Be Considered a Mental Health Condition?

Discusses the Growing Problems of Living Alone

How Senior Living Communities Provide a Safe Haven for Seniors?

Safety Guidelines to Prevent Accidents

Social Environment

Safety and Security Systems and Protocols

Medical Management Services

Support Staff for Every Complicated Task

Proper At-Home Safety Measurements For Seniors

Ensuring Fewer Risks And More Convenience

Ensure better safety of your loved ones!

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The Benefits Of Modular Classrooms In Education

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