The Role of Personal Care Assistance in Improving Senior Quality of Life

In a May 2023 report, the State Data Center of Iowa and the Iowa Department on Aging estimated that in 2021, 567,581 Iowans were 65 or older. Of these older adults, an estimated 166,900, or almost 30%, had at least one disability, including those affecting their hearing, vision, mobility, and ability to care for themselves and live independently.

If you or an older loved one in Tipton, IA, is in the same boat, now is an excellent time to consider the personal care assistance provided by assisted living communities. In these communities, improving senior quality of life is a top priority.

In this guide, our expert staff at Addington Place of Prairie Hills at Tipton will share the benefits of personal care and assisted senior living assistance. Read on to discover their roles in enhancing the quality of life for seniors in Tipton, IA.

Provide Tailored Personal Care as Needed

Personal care, a range of services designed to assist older adults with activities of daily living (ADLs), is only one of the many senior care services assisted living communities provide. It's a highly tailored care plan aimed at improving elderly well-being by providing each resident with the help they need for ADLs such as:

Bathing or showering
Getting dressed
Medication management
Personal hygiene and grooming
Mobility support

Reputable assisted living communities, such as Addington Place of Prairie Hills at Tipton, customize each personal care plan based on a resident's unique needs. Our highly experienced and skilled personal care staff is also available 24/7.

So, rest assured that you or your older loved one will get the help you need when you need it while maintaining independence when you join our senior living community.

Help Seniors Maintain Some Semblance of Independence

It may sound counterintuitive that seniors in assisted living communities can remain independent if they get help from others. However, this help they get is one of the crucial factors that enable them to retain some level of autonomy.

For example, suppose a senior resident has minor mobility issues and only needs help getting to and from the bathroom. In their current health state, they can still take showers or bathe independently. However, without having a personal care staff member assist them in getting in and out of the shower, they could be at risk of slips, trips, and falls.

Falls are the leading cause of injury among seniors in the United States; according to The Journalist's Resource, over a quarter of older Americans report falling yearly. Ten percent of those who experience a fall sustain an injury. Some don't or are slow to recover and, as a result, develop a further decline in their movement, activities, and function.

Many falls are preventable. For older adults, having someone help them get around and move about is vital to fall prevention. By receiving personal care assistance, seniors can reduce their risk of experiencing such incidents and maintain autonomy.

Improve Senior Medication Safety

Per Merck Manuals, almost nine in ten older adults rely on at least one prescription drug. Around a third even take five different prescription medications!

The more medicines someone takes, the higher their likelihood of committing medication errors.

Medication Errors and Adherence

Medication errors can happen when someone confuses one medication with another and takes the wrong one. Another example is if they forget to take their medicines on time.

Either way, such mistakes can result in poor medication adherence, which can lead to:

The medicines not working as they should or having little to no beneficial effect
The progression or worsening of the disease for which the medicines are for
The need for more medical appointments
Unwanted side effects or adverse drug events (ADEs)
Emergency room visits and hospitalization

By contrast, good medication adherence is critical to maintaining health, as it helps optimize drug efficacy. After all, when people take their medicines as prescribed and directed, they can work as intended.

How Personal Care Assistance Helps With Medication Adherence

Medication management, often an integral part of a personal care plan, can help improve drug adherence by:

Ensuring seniors take the correct medicine on time through medication reminders
Checking that the medicines residents are about to take are the right ones
Assisting residents to take their medicines properly

The personal care team in an assisted living community can minimize drug safety risks by improving medication adherence. By helping seniors take the right medicines at the right time, personal care staff can also help residents achieve optimal medication outcomes.

Help Combat Isolation and Loneliness

According to the U.S. CDC, loneliness and social isolation can raise someone's risk of developing physical and mental health conditions, such as:

Type 2 diabetes
Heart disease
Stroke
Dementia
Anxiety
Depression

The CDC also noted how older adults, especially those who live alone, are more at risk of loneliness and social isolation. Fortunately, personal care assistance provided by assisted living communities can help combat these negative emotions and states of mind through companionship.

At Addington Place of Prairie Hills at Tipton, we are proud of our personal care team, which consists of compassionate, friendly, and supportive staff members. They don't just extend a helping hand to our residents; they also form connections and build relationships with each one. They do so to help our residents feel welcome and have a sense of belonging.

A feeling of belongingness and connectedness can help curb loneliness and social isolation in older adults. In this way, we can help contribute to our residents' better physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being.

Improving Senior Quality of Life With Exceptional Personal Care Assistance

Improving senior quality of life is possible with the exceptional personal care services provided by a reputable assisted living community. They allow residents to enjoy the benefits of tailored personal care, independence, medication safety, and companionship.

So, if you or your older loved one is ready to explore all those perks and advantages, Addington Place of Prairie Hills at Tipton looks forward to meeting you.

Reach out to us today to schedule a tour of our beautiful and welcoming assisted living community in Tipton, IA, where residents flourish and make the most of their golden years.