Enjoy What's There

I realize it is never easy to give up a certain amount of independence. I realize people often try to avoid admitting they cannot do things and they fight things all the way.

Having visited some assisted living home facilities, I know that they can be quite nice. They have a number of activities that take place, provide numerous socializing opportunities for the residents and really do what they can to make sure the residents enjoy living there.

In order to make this work, however, those people who live there have to be willing to take advantage of the programs. My mother-in-law refuses and often times just stays in her apartment. If you ask her what is taking place, she will tell you nothing, that there is nothing to do. The fact is, that is not true.

There are field trips to museums and sights in the area. Sometimes they go to casinos. They have meal outings. Sometimes they may just have a picnic outside the building, but they still do something a little different. These are all things that take place outside the facility. Inside, they try to have at least one movie a day, they have a number of games and eat their meals together. There is a swimming pool and an exercise room right at the facility.

The point is, there is plenty to do, yet when I ask my mother-in-law what she did, I usually get the same response that I do from my son when I asked him that question. The response is, “Nothing”. But even more frustrating than that is she will tell you there is nothing to do.

Yes, there are things that can be improved, but for the most part, it is a good facility. The people are concerned and caring. They provide many activities and programs for their residents.

If people need to be in such a facility, I can only hope they are willing to try some of the activities and allow themselves to enjoy it. They might be surprised.