Assisted Living May Not be Right for Everyone
A senior may not be suitable for assisted living if their needs exceed the level of care the facility can provide. This includes those with severe medical conditions requiring frequent medical interventions, those requiring 24/7 skilled nursing care, those who are bedridden, or those exhibiting significant behavioral issues or aggression. Assisted living typically focuses on assistance with daily living activities, while more intensive medical care is usually provided in skilled nursing facilities.
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The following is a video transcript based on the section of Willow Cordain's recent live presentation (*video above) given at the Temple Beth Israel in Eugene, Oregon.
So. If you've got really unstable incentives, there are some other reasons. You can either not be accepted by that nurse. Extensive wound care. They are somewhat limited to people with diabetes, usually with these things. But there are some things where you won't get accepted into assisted living.
But for your case, and unless you have really insulin-dependent diabetes, the mobility is the biggest. You have to think about it. So the other reason you can kind of get evicted, say from assisted living, is the memory care issues. And you know, just like when I walk up Spencer's view, everything hurts a little bit more than it used to. Right? My body's aging and it's not as elastic and all that stuff. Same thing with the brain.
So, we can get age-related memory loss, but it can go, you know, then we can also go into memory loss, dementia. And so, like I said, you can be pleasantly confused in assisted living. Somebody who has a diagnosis absolutely can live in assisted living. It just matters. At what level?
So, if I moved in with my husband, who technically is non-existent, but let's just pretend, if I moved in with my husband and he has a little bit of memory loss, moving in with me is probably going to help him because I can kind of counterbalance some of his things. But if he moves in alone, he might not do as well.
So, sometimes if you are a couple and you have and you want to be together and you're seeing what's coming down the pike, you may want to think about moving into assisted living a little sooner. Because if you wait so long, my husband now has mid-stage and that assisted living is going to put the kibosh on him moving in. But if you bring him in a little bit sooner with me, they're going to let him progress a little bit more once he's in.
So, the issue is on admission. They're going to be a little more careful, but as they progress in the community, you're going to be allowed to stay there longer. There are a couple of reasons for that. One of them is that it helps the person with memory loss to start to put synapses, you know, that roadmap down in okay, I remember how to get down to the dining room. I remember that I press this button. The earlier we can get somebody thinking that the longer perhaps they can start doing that right. And so that would be a reason that plan for them.
You may want to start to switch to plan B sooner than you thought because then you can be stable in a community together, which is, you know if you're married for a long time, separation is very traumatic for everybody. And so that would be one situation I might suggest to the family to think about moving in sooner.
So, I mentioned that you can have a campus with independent living, assisted living, and memory care. Right? Well, in a situation where maybe somebody has got memory loss and it's a little too far along to move into assisted living. But the wife, myself, let's say, really wants to be close to my husband.
So maybe I move into that campus that has independent living and then memory care, and then I can walk and see my husband every day and be with him and eat lunch with him every day. Right. So there are different ways to work this situation as well.
Here at Willow Care

Willow Care is a local women-owned senior-living advisor agency (*sometimes called senior care agents or senior referral companies) providing free assistance in finding the most suitable senior care communities for families in the Eugene/Springfield area. Their services include personalized consultations to understand individual needs and preferences, expert guidance in navigating the senior care landscape, and compassionate support throughout the decision-making process.
The process and options can be quite overwhelming, we know this! And the real value we offer goes beyond what you learn when touring facilities alone. We have been part of these communities and this industry for decades and bring that expertise to help you and your unique situation. We help you understand the differences in quality care between independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing facilities (aka nursing homes), continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), home care, adult day care, and hospice care and what is the best option for you or your loved one.
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