Link Between Immigration And Elder Care

I recently had a conversation with a client whose 80-year-old mother is mentally alert but physically infirm.
We were discussing her upcoming move to an assisted living facility. Our discussion was mostly, as you would imagine, about the financial ramifications of this change. But I also wanted to give him a heads-up about something else he might want to consider as his mother moves from her home to the facility.
The general perception is that a resident in an assisted living facility is safer from accidents, especially falls, than is someone living on their own. In my experience, the reality is that such a difference is slight, if not nonexistent.
Assisted living facilities can be very useful in many ways. Staff members make sure that residents take their medication, eat regular meals, are bathed and dressed each day and enjoy some level of companionship. But most residents have their own room or studio apartment, and they sleep alone at night. For those who are ambulatory, falls are always a risk, but especially so in the dark.
For those who fall in an assisted living facility, there is one advantage: Someone will find them promptly and call for help. (Incidentally, this is the same level of benefit conferred by Life Alert and similar medical alert products.) Prompt attention is good, but the damage may already be done. All it takes is one fall to potentially ruin someone’s quality of life, often permanently.