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Assisted Living | Parsons House Senior Living

Assisted Living Facilities: Undeniable Benefits

Updated: February 8, 2021 by

The Benefits of Living in an Assisted Living Community

In the United States, there are about 28,900 assisted living facilities in the United States. If you are considering moving your loved one to one of these facilities, you may be wondering if it is worth it. But there are actually plenty of benefits to living in an assisted living community like Parsons House in Omaha. What are they though? Keep reading to find out a few of the benefits of living in an award-winning facility like Parsons House.

Accessible Help

One of the key benefits is that they'll have 24/7 help with any of their daily activities. This could be something as simple as getting dressed, taking a shower, or even using the restroom.

Even if the senior moves in and can take care of themselves at the time, they may need more care as time goes on. In this type of facility, they'll be able to get that care.

They'll also have access to all kinds of healthcare as well. They will have someone manage their medications, and they have access to trained staff and nurses who can handle any emergency.

Strong Community

As an elderly person, they may start to feel isolated from everyone, but it doesn't have to be that way! If they join a community for elderly people, they'll be around all kinds of people who are going through the same thing that they are.

This helps them avoid feeling isolated or depressed. Instead, they can make new connections and friends who share the same hobbies.

When they feel like they're in a community they belong with, this can help to boost their confidence or even help them deal with their health issues.

Free Time

If an elderly person is trying to take care of themselves, it might take them longer than usual to complete tasks that most people could complete in a few hours. They may also not be able to do some tasks like doing yard work or home maintenance.

Some of them are just annoyed with having to deal with being a homeowner and take care of the house. But with an assisted living facility, they won't have to worry about any yard work, cleaning, or cooking.

They'll have so much more time to take up new hobbies or do things that they were really interested in doing.

Safety

An assisted living facility will make sure that your loved one is safe as well. Many seniors are injured from falls, but every facility is accessible.

They have ramps, hand railings, raised toilets, specially-designed showers, and tubs, and grab bars in every bathroom. This will make sure that your senior is safe and won't have to worry about going up and down stairs or falling while trying to take a shower.

Most of them also come with security systems. When an elderly person lives alone in their home, they're more susceptible to robberies or break-ins, and they normally don't have the capacity to defend themselves. However, the facility will take care of all of that and make sure they have a good security team as well.

They're also prepared to handle any natural disasters that come through the area. Whether it's a tornado, hurricane, earthquake, or fire - they're prepared.

All of them have to have some detectors and carbon monoxide alarms to keep everyone safe. They also maintain them, which could be difficult for an elderly person who lives alone.

If there is a natural disaster, the team will have a plan in place to take care of everyone. This can help keep a little bit of stress off you and your loved one since you don't have to come up with a plan.

Fitness

Exercise is still important even when you're old, but it can be dangerous to do it on your own. Thankfully, a senior assisted living home like Parsons House can help implement fitness into your daily regimen through their activities department. They will also make sure that you do it safely.

Nutrition

It can be difficult to cook healthy meals for yourself, but a senior facility can also take care of that. Cosmos, the director of dining services at Parsons House, will carefully prepare nutritious (and delicious) meals to make sure that seniors can still eat healthily.

Meals are served in our large dining hall so that all of the seniors can eat together. This makes dinner a social event rather than a task that needs to be completed. The dining hall at Parsons House overlooks a beautiful golf course.

And will even let our residents invite family or friends over to enjoy a meal or two for special occasions. This of course depends on COVID-19 restrictions. Parsons House follows the guidance of the CDS and local health department guidelines.

Transportation

Lastly, the facility will also take care of transportation. Some elderly people can't drive anymore, but they won't have to worry about that anymore!

Parsons House has great transportation options, like buses or vans. The employees can drive them out to doctor appointments or out for fun activities!

Learn More About the Benefits of Living in an Assisted Living Community

These are only a few of the benefits of living in an assisted living community like Parsons House, but there are many more that you or your loved one can enjoy.

We know that making this decision can be very difficult, but we're here to help you figure it out. If you have any questions or are looking for a good assisted living home, make sure you contact us today!

Covid-19 Updates | Parsons House Senior Living | Vaccinations

Vaccinations Bring Hope

Updated: January 28, 2021 by

Vaccinations Bring Hope

Project Hug Arrives at Parsons House

Vaccinating the nation’s nursing home residents is taking longer than many have anticipated, and the family members of those in assisted living & memory care communities, like Parsons House, are certainly forgiven for being impatient: Separated away from their loved ones for weeks on end, residents and their families see a desperately needed light at the end of the tunnel as the shots gradually make their way into facilities across the country.

January 4th was the first day vaccines could be distributed to Assisted Living facilities in Nebraska. The first round of Covid-19 vaccinations was administered to our residents, nurses, housekeeping, dietary, maintenance, and administration. As we reflect back on the difficult year we’ve had, we are excited for the days ahead and have much hope for 2021. The vaccine was administrated by Project Hug -- a name chosen with the anticipation of residents hugging their loved ones again. Vaccinations bring hope and we're grateful to organizations like Project Hug to help make that happen.

The two-stage vaccination process brings hope to residents and their family members. Parsons House will follow the appropriate health department’s leads when making decisions on a return to normalcy.

Parsons House management has expressed optimism that, given the progress made thus far, that that day could come in the not-so-distant future.

How Has the Vaccination Rollout Gone So Far?

It’s the solution Parsons House has been hoping and praying for — for the better part of a year. We see this as a significant light at the end of the tunnel, and we’re 100% behind it. It’s a monumental effort by a lot of people — our vaccination partners at Project Hug, certainly our staff — over the next couple of months.

Parsons House has worked diligently to educate team members and residents about the importance of vaccinations. Increasing awareness is key to a successful vaccination rollout. Bottom line is, vaccinations bring hope to the residents of Parsons House.

How do we see the vaccination effort prompting policy changes around visitation and group activities?

The most important thing is we’re going to follow the guidance of local and state public health [officials], and they will decide — with our feedback, of course — what and when that’s going to occur.

As Parsons House turns the corner with the community, — we would like to believe in a relatively short period of time, we’re going to be able to get back to the things that our residents and family members have been missing the most, and that’s the issue around social isolation and lack of visitation and touch and personal care.

Ultimately, it will be the state and local public health [departments] that will guide us with that, but when the vaccine does what we believe it’s going to do, we would think in very short order thereafter, we’ll be able to get back to those kinds of things that have been the most frustrating for staff and residents and families.

Parsons House is grateful to the family members of our residents. They’ve been very supportive, engaged, and appreciative of our ongoing efforts to keeping their residents happy and healthy. We’re looking forward to turning the corner and the vaccinations have given us hope.

Parsons House Senior Living

Assisted Living Facility: 5 Signs Your Loved One Requires One

Updated: January 11, 2021 by

Choosing an assisted living facility is never easy. What’s more challenging is knowing when your loved one requires an assisted living facility. As your loved one transitions through different stages of life, receiving the proper care and attention is the key to experiencing happiness and enjoying a fulfilled life. That’s what living at Parsons House is all about. Lives Enriched… Spirits Renewed! But, how do you know when your loved one requires assisted living?

Here are five signs that your loved one requires assisted living.

They Need Help With Activities of Daily Living
There are many activities of daily living that we need to perform. Several of these activities meet basic needs.

We need to maintain our hygiene and dress and feed ourselves. We have to use the bathroom and move from room to room without assistance.

Other activities are instrumental, requiring more complex skills. We have to get groceries and manage our transportation. We need to clean our home and communicate with others.

If your loved ones cannot perform basic activities, they are a danger to themselves. They could become sick from their lack of hygiene. They could suffer a fall and be unable to reach someone.

If your loved one cannot perform instrumental activities, they may be struggling with complex thinking. This could be a sign of other diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and may need immediate treatment.

An assisted living facility, like Parsons House, will maintain your loved one’s hygiene. They will manage medications and meals, making sure your loved one has the health care they deserve. They keep your loved one in contact with friends and family.

Parsons House also offers memory care, which provides programs to nurture memory. Your loved one can receive a private suite with 24-hour staffing and emergency response. They can participate in activities like art therapy that promotes memory retention.

They Cannot Keep up Their House
Housekeeping is difficult. We have to remove dust and clean up spills. We have to take out the trash and do the dishes.

Housekeeping is also essential to good health. Spoiled and expired food can produce harmful gases that injure the respiratory system. Expired food can attract mice and other pests, spreading diseases to the people inside.

Trash and other objects can impair mobility. If a person can’t clean their driveway or walkways, they may not be able to leave their house. In the event of an emergency, they may be trapped inside.

An assisted living facility can allow your loved one to maintain their house. Employees can clean, maintain, and monitor a home. They can allow field trips that let your loved one return to their home.

They can deliver mail to your loved one and make sure they pay their bills. If your loved one wants to take something valuable from their home, an employee can deliver the value to them.

They Are Having Mobility Problems
Many people move their loved one to an assisted living facility after a fall. But falls don’t happen suddenly.

People who suffer falls show problems with their mobility. They may have trouble remaining upright or walking. They may struggle to get up and down stairs.

Age-related eye diseases can make it hard to detect hazards. Medications can cause drowsiness or dizziness, which can lead to a fall.

If your loved one struggles to move around their home, an assisted living facility can help. Employees can remove dangerous hazards from their home. They can install handrailings that your loved one can use to navigate their stairs.

Facilities design their rooms for mobility in mind. Rooms feature a combined living and sleeping area, creating easy access. The bathroom is a few steps away, preventing your loved one from tripping over hazards.

Walls feature railings and additional supports that a person can grip. Facilities are handicap-accessible, featuring ramps and elevators for people who use wheelchairs.

They Show Signs of Mental Illness
Your loved one may not have dementia. But they may struggle with something else.

Your loved one may show signs of depression. They may struggle with constant sadness and/or anxiety. They may withdraw from their friends and family.

Some elderly people begin drinking heavily. They may become dependent on alcohol for good feelings.

Your loved one may struggle with an undiagnosed mental condition. Cases of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other conditions can go undiagnosed for years.

Assisted living facilities, like Parsons House, have team members and resources who specialize in eldercare.

They Need a Supportive Community
Loneliness is a very common problem among older people. An older person may feel separated from their old friends. They may struggle to relate to younger people, prompting them to withdraw from their community.

Parsons House works diligently to provide group activities that let your loved one make friends. They can play games, watch movies, and go on outings. Parsons House features a beautiful courtyard, allowing older people to get outdoors and experience nature.

What an Assisted Living Facility Can Offer
Thinking about an assisted living facility can bring up some hard questions. But a facility like Parsons House can help your loved one take care of their essential needs while building new friendships along the way

The Parsons House family can help your loved one perform the activities of daily living, including housekeeping. A facility can provide for someone with mobility problems or even mental illness. Your loved one can be a part of a community that loves and befriends them.

Get the services you and your loved one deserve. Parsons House is an award-winning facility that offers premium assisted living and memory care services for Omaha residents. Contact us today, or call us at 402-498-9554.

Memory Care

How Memory Care Can Bring Comfort and Relief to Loved Ones

Updated: November 25, 2020 by

How Memory Care Can Bring Comfort and Relief to Loved Ones

Award-Winning Memory Care Brings Comfort to residents in Omaha.

An estimated 50 million people are living with dementia, making it one of the most common causes of disability for the elderly worldwide.

Living with dementia can cause feelings of fear, frustration, and confusion as memory loss increases and potential personality changes set in. However, it is not the patients, alone, who feel the impact of dementia and Alzheimer's.

Loved ones of dementia patients often suffer from the emotional toll of watching dementia set in and from the burnout of caregiving. If this sounds familiar to you, we'd like to talk to you about memory care and how it can bring you comfort and relief.

Read on for our guide to our memory care program at Parsons House on Eagle Run and find out if memory care is right for your loved one.

What Is Memory Care?

At Parsons House, we provide top-notch live-in facilities for seniors who can benefit from assisted living. Our residents in the memory care program are given spacious private studios with a 3/4 bath in a secure building. Each day, they are visited by caregivers and given nutritious meals that are created to feed both the mind and body.

Our residents in the memory care program receive more than day-to-day assistance with cleaning, grooming, and eating. We also maintain a full calendar of activities, outings, and events developed by our own memory care specialist. In addition, we provide routine wellness reviews to monitor our residents' physical and mental wellbeing so that we can adjust their care accordingly.

All of this is done to ensure that memory loss, dementia, or Alzheimer's is managed to the best of our abilities. While there is no known cure for dementia or Alzheimer's at this time, there are proven ways to help manage and slow the progression of these diseases. Our memory care program targets these methods by encouraging engagement, physical activity, socialization, and more.

How Can Memory Care Help Both Patients and Their Loved Ones?
Now that we've talked about what memory care is, let's take a look at how it can help both our residents and their loved ones. From providing daily support to encouraging family involvement, we make both our residents and their loved ones and caregivers our number one priority.

Daily Support

When we are tasked with providing care for a loved one with a dependency-inducing disability, we often put our own needs on the backburner. We may feel like our needs are not a priority or that it is a sign of ineptitude to ask for help. The reality is that there is strength in reaching out for support and receiving it can do wonders for your mental and emotional health.

Many individual caregivers suffer from what we refer to as "burnout," which occurs when we feel drained or exhausted by the care we are expected to give. Moving your loved one to an assisted living facility is a great way to receive the daily support your loved one needs while giving you the time and space to reenergize and focus on yourself. You can relax knowing that your loved one is in good hands and working with specialists who understand their condition.

Specialized Outings and Programs for Social and Emotional Stimulation

Socialization and emotional stimulation have been found to slow the progress of diseases like dementia. Regular social interaction exercises the mind and allows individuals to practice their ability to decode and interpret information. In addition, socialization can reduce feelings of anxiety and depression, two mental health issues that can worsen symptoms like memory loss.

One of the most upsetting things about watching a loved one struggle with dementia is watching the disease progress. You may notice an increase in both short-term and long-term memory loss as well as the onset of behaviors and moods that are unfamiliar to you. It can be difficult to take comfort in the company of your loved one when it feels as though they are slipping away.

Once our residents begin our memory care program, both they and their loved ones often notice a positive improvement in mood and cognitive abilities. Take a look at our testimonials to see what people have said about Parsons House.

Encouraged Family Involvement

When a loved one moves into an assisted living facility, it doesn't mean that you won't be able to see them on a regular basis. We encourage visits and involvement in activities from both family and non-familial caregivers. The more involved you are in your loved one's memory care, the more you'll get to see the wonderful benefits of our program.

With the relief of caregiver burnout, many of our residents and their loved ones see an improvement in their relationship. No longer do you have to focus on your loved one's basic, day-to-day needs. Instead, you can get back to having enriching, meaningful conversations and experiences together.

Contact Us to Learn More About Memory Care in Omaha, Nebraska

Are you caring for someone who is experiencing memory loss and other symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer's? Is it putting a strain on your own mental and emotional health? It's time to find the care your loved one needs that will bring you comfort and relief.

Parsons House on Eagle Run provides one of the largest and most comprehensive memory care programs in Omaha, Nebraska. We work with specialists to develop methods and activities to address the needs of dementia patients and slow the progress of the disease.

To find out more about our award-winning memory care program in Omaha, contact us today.

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