February 24, 2024
As the global population ages, it will bring both opportunities and challenges for senior living. The projected number of Americans aged 65 and older is expected to double from 46 million to over 98 million by 2060. It will be the first time in history the number of older adults outnumbers children under age five. In addition, older adults will live longer than ever before. One out of every four 65-year-olds today will live past age 90. These remarkable gains are due to improved public health, better nutrition, and better healthcare.
With many people now expected to live into their nineties or beyond, there will be many new challenges and questions to answer. Even though people are living longer, they are not necessarily living healthier. The nature of the assisted living prospect has changed dramatically over the past 15 years, with even greater changes to come. The senior living industry, including Vitalia North Royalton, will need to consider ways to adapt to residents with more complex and extended chronic care needs.
Some ways to adapt to residents with more complex needs include additional staff training. Not only will staff need the skills to care for residents progressing in their disease processes, but they will also need to understand how to quickly identify changes in their condition. Being proactive in this effort will allow teams to provide the care the residents need precisely when they need it.
Third-party vendors will be crucial to helping our assisted living staff be proactive.
The following will be crucial for caring for a resident population:
These vendors provide resident-specific care needed to help older adults continue to thrive in the assisted living environment.
Some strategies that will help us adapt to the aging population with more complex and extended chronic care issues include ongoing training for staff members on dementia care, mobility assistance, and managing complex chronic conditions. These can enhance the quality of care and life for assisted living residents.
We can prepare and educate our staff to care for a population with more significant needs by providing programs tailored to the unique needs of our staff and the population that we are caring for. We can continuously evaluate the effectiveness of training programs by soliciting feedback from staff members and monitoring key performance indicators related to patient care outcomes.
It is more important than ever to take a proactive approach when a change in condition occurs with a resident. To ensure our teams recognize even small changes within residents, we must be observant and attentive to residents’ behaviors, routines, and appearance. We emphasize the importance of regularly monitoring residents during daily care routines, interactions, and activities.
Once a change is identified, the appropriate next steps are to address the situation and ensure the resident’s well-being. Our nursing team will conduct a thorough assessment of the resident’s condition to gather more information about the nature and severity of the change. Our nurses will notify the appropriate healthcare professionals about the observed change in the resident’s condition. Based on the assessment and input from healthcare professionals, we would then implement appropriate interventions to address the resident’s needs and mitigate any risks associated with these changes in condition.
Caring for a sicker population in an assisted living setting is a challenging issue that requires a multifaceted approach. Aging in place is an important goal for an older adult and should also be a priority of the senior living industry. To meet this goal, we must ensure we can fulfill the needs of our aging residents.
VITALIA® North Royalton in North Royalton, OH offers independent senior apartments, assisted living, and memory care with a variety of services and a range of floor plan options. Amenities include restaurant dining, 24-hour bistro, concierge service, housekeeping, events and entertainment, personal care, transportation services, and more. Centrally located near Parma Hospital and Southwest General Hospital with convenient access to major shopping centers and attractions, including Ridgewood Golf Course, Southpark Mall, Sleepy Hallow Golf Course, Cleveland Metro Parks, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, and Heavily Hills Farm.
