Many people in retirement choose senior living even if they can still live independently. However, there are those who need assistance all throughout the day. If this happens to your loved ones, you may want to find services that can help you in taking care for them. It’s a standard operating procedure for a retirement community to ask about your family members’ ability to do activities of daily living or ADLs. The answer to this will then determine the senior services in Tulsa, OK that will fit their needs.
Before we enumerate the importance of ADLs assessment in senior living, let us first take a look at what it is and does. Activities of daily living (ADLs) are all about the basic skills a person can do to take care of himself. Can he bathe, dress, eat, pee, move bowel, and move on his own? These are measured to find out the functional abilities of the person. Over time, a person’s ability to carry out ADLs may decline. This may be caused by medical conditions or simply an overall weakness because of aging. Once this happens, the person will be assessed if he can live independently or would need assistance in taking care of himself.
To learn more about the significance of ADLs assessment, below are the reasons.
Prevent Further ADLs Decline
It is important for your loved ones to undergo ADLs assessment to prevent the further decline of their ability to selfcare. As mentioned earlier, ADLs may be caused by underlying medical conditions or the result of the weakening of our body due to aging. If you don’t get your family members assessed as soon as the first signs are seen, they can suffer from even more illnesses and may eventually totally lose their ability to take care of themselves.
Continued ignorance of the condition can result in urinary tract infections, poor personal hygiene, malnutrition and even mental health problems. However, if your loved ones are assessed early, these health issues can be prevented from arising. Thus, you can save money from costly hospitalizations and medications brought about by worsened ADLs condition.
Determine Types of Care Needed
If you plan to ask for assistance to care for your loved ones or let them live in a retirement community, ADLs assessment can be used to identify the type of care that is suitable for them. The evaluation can also help determine the senior living settings they can live in. For instance, if your loved ones are assessed and can perform ADLs on their own, the evaluator can suggest that they can live independently. In contrast, if the evaluator found out that they cannot do self-care, he can suggest that they live with a family caregiver, have someone that can provide in-home care, or have them moved in Assisted Living.
Determine Services and Benefits for Your Loved Ones
ADLs assessments may be used as criteria for your loved ones to be eligible in applying for elder care service, insurance coverage and benefit programs. An example of this is the long-term Medicaid programs and Social Security disability benefits. If an evaluator has assessed your family members as people who need assistance or care in their ADLs, this may be submitted, along with other requirements, to qualify for the benefits and programs.
