Assisted living is an effective care option for seniors, offering support with daily tasks such as dressing, bathing, and eating, but it’s important to stay involved in your own care. This article shares simple, practical tips to help you understand your care, ask questions, and speak up when something doesn’t feel right. You’ll learn how to work with your care team, keep track of changes, and make use of wellness programs. These small steps can help you feel more confident, comfortable, and in control of your assisted living services.   

Understand your care plan, and participate in updates

The first step to making the most of your assisted living services relates to your care team and care plan. Your care team is the group of people responsible for supporting you. This team includes people who provide hands-on care as well as support staff and administrators who help with coordination. Your care plan is a document that details everything about your care needs, along with your preferences and any other important notes. This plan is essential for helping your care team support you.

The care plan defines your care, but it’s your plan. You can be involved as much as you want to. Take the time to fully understand the plan, make suggestions, and ask about anything you’re unsure of.

Doing so has a variety of benefits, including helping you to know:

• If anything has been missed or misinterpreted.
• When staff aren’t following the care plan.
• When the care plan no longer matches your needs.
• How the plan can help you.
• What you can expect.

Your care plan isn’t a static document. It should be regularly revised as your care needs change.

Most assisted living communities have regular times for evaluating care plans, like every quarter or every six months.

Try to be involved in this process. Doing so helps ensure the new care plan reflects your needs and experiences. Staff could easily miss something important if you’re not part of the discussion.

Get to know your care team

Your care team is made up of real people with their own passions, interests, and strengths. Take the time to get to know them. What do they do outside of work hours? What are their hobbies? What drew them to this career?

Connecting with them in this way can help reduce loneliness, improve communication, and enhance your overall experience. Also, problems become easier to solve when you know your care team well.

Communicate about preferences and comfort

Your care team can’t cater to your every wish, but they can support you in a surprising number of ways as long as you tell them what you’d prefer. The trick is to focus on requests and preferences rather than being demanding or aggressive.

Ask questions

Questions are important, too. Consider asking about assisted living services in the areas below:

• How your care needs are likely to change over time.
• Which activities the staff members recommend.
• The reasons for any changes in care.
• What you can do to promote your health,
• Your therapy schedule.
• The purpose of different medications and how they can help you.
• Whether your cost of care is likely to change in the near future.

Sometimes, assisted living staff members can answer these questions directly. Other times, you may need to ask a doctor or someone else.

Keep track of important information

Staying organized makes life much easier. Key things to keep track of include:

• Important paperwork.
• Medications and side effects.
• Appointments and follow-ups.
• Symptom changes.
• Concerns about your health, the facility, or individual staff members.

Tracking such information means everything you need is right at your fingertips. This makes issues easier to solve and gives you proof when you need it.

Learn about resident rights

Residents of assisted living facilities have the same rights as every other citizen, but there are some fundamental rights and protections to be aware of. Resident rights should be listed in your community and include the following:

• Right to dignity
• Right to self-determination
• Right to raise grievances
• Right to privacy and confidentiality
• Right to adequate and appropriate care

Assisted living facilities should also respect residents’ wishes and preferences to a reasonable level. Understanding your rights can help you identify issues and start to find solutions.

Know who to talk to about problems, and be proactive

Take the time to learn the assisted living facility’s procedures for addressing problems. Knowing who to talk to ahead of time can make any problem feel much more manageable and help resolve things much faster. There will often be a single point person, such as an in-house advocate or a department head.

Being proactive about any issues with your assisted living services means taking action early. Address problems while they’re still small rather than waiting for things to get worse. Sometimes a small tweak is all that’s needed. Staff members might not realize that something is wrong unless you tell them.

Seek external resources

Sometimes you’ll need to go beyond the community itself to find the support you need. This is particularly true if the problem is widespread or if attempts to find solutions have been unsuccessful.

Your local ombudsman program is a good place to begin. These programs have trained long-term care advocates who are familiar with the complexities of assisted living services.

Elder law attorneys are relevant, too, along with any local groups that focus on senior advocacy.

Get family involved

You aren’t alone in assisted living. Your family and close friends can still play an important role in your care. They can help you talk through concerns, notice changes in your health or mood, and support you in making decisions. If you’re unsure about something in your care plan or feel uncomfortable speaking up, a trusted family member can help ask questions or advocate on your behalf. 

Regular check-ins, whether in person or by phone, can also provide comfort and clarity. Even just talking things out can help you feel more supported and confident. Involving your family adds another layer of support.

Make use of preventive care and wellness programs

Assisted living communities aren’t just about the support you receive with daily tasks. They also offer a range of programs to promote wellness, including fitness classes, nutrition education, and regular health check-ups.

Such programs give you more power over your health, helping you stay healthy and fit for longer.

Engage in meals, activities, and events

Assisted living communities are designed to be vibrant social environments. They serve communal meals and host various activities and events to promote socializing, engagement, and overall quality of life. These activities may include things like book clubs, movie nights, art classes, excursions, gardening, happy hours, and guest lectures on interesting topics.

Meals and activities are a large part of the assisted living experience and are worth joining in on. You’ll likely have fun experiences, make new friends, and find an increased enjoyment of the community. 

Getting the most out of your assisted living services

Assisted living services are designed to make life easier, safer, and more fulfilling, but they work best when you stay involved. By asking questions, understanding your care plan, building relationships with staff, and speaking up when something doesn’t feel right, you help shape the care you receive. These small actions add up to a better experience. With the right support and a proactive approach, assisted living can be not just a place to live but a place to thrive.

Senior care facility rules and requirements vary based on company-specific policies and state-level regulations. The content above represents common guidelines but may differ from a particular facility’s policies or requirements. To learn the regulations that apply in your state, contact your local Oasis Senior Advisor.