A feeling of community is essential in assisted living. Here’s what you can do to help create one.
How do you define “community”?
The best care occurs when a strong network of people work together. If you think about it, that’s one way to define the word “community.” In assisted living, family members are considered part of the community too.
What can you do to make sure you’re part of the equation?
Here are four ways you can work to become part of the assisted living community where your senior loved one lives. Each one is a variation on the idea of working as a partner with the staff. As you’ll find out below, partnerships are crucial when it comes to forming a healthy, happy community.
How to Work with the Caregivers at a Loved One’s Senior Living Community
- Help Staff Get to Know Your Loved One
By visiting regularly and chatting with staff, you’re helping them do their job. The more staff knows and understands your loved one, the better. In fact, opening up to staff about your loved one’s life may mean you’re paving the road for a better experience for everyone.
Knowing cultural backgrounds, for example, may help staff understand your senior loved one’s preferences and behavior.
Studies have shown that when staff members know a resident well, they experience multiple benefits themselves. They’re better able to handle daily challenges they encounter on the job, for example.
Knowing the history, family background, and life story of your loved one helps staff paint a complete picture of your loved one. That’s important because it helps them connect and relate. Stronger connections and better relationships can lead to a more home-like experience for your loved one.
- Be a Good Listener
Family members should be good listeners, too. The same research mentioned above showed that good communication and collaboration is a two-way street. When you heed the advice and follow the recommendations of the assisted living staff, you’re not just helping your loved one. You’re helping the staff too.
In fact, having good relationships with families is tied to higher job satisfaction among nursing assistants, say researchers.
- Give Feedback
The best assisted living communities are always looking for ways to improve the lives of their residents. Working with families is part of how they go about achieving those goals.
The feedback that staff receives during casual encounters with family members is invaluable. What they can learn about your loved one from you supplements what they know from formal assessments and care conferences.
- Focus on Community
The bottom line here is that by following recommendations, giving productive feedback, and helping staff get to know your loved one, you’re contributing to job satisfaction. When people like their jobs, they’re less likely to quit. Long-term staff who love their jobs form the foundation of a strong community for your loved one.
At Legacy Senior Living, family members, staff, and residents work together to create a supportive environment for all who live and work in our community. That’s how the strongest communities are created, and that’s our goal.
We encourage family members to reach out at all times. That goes for our new friends as well. If you’re reading about Legacy Senior Living for the first time, it’s nice to meet you. Please know that you are welcome to call, email, or visit at any time to learn more about how we build a sense of community for seniors.