You might think that being married means you should immediately dismiss the idea of moving to assisted living. After all, aren’t those communities for single people? For widows and widowers who need help now that they live alone?
What can a married couple get out of making the move to assisted living? A whole lot, it turns out.
The Benefits of Assisted Living for Couples
Assisted living communities offer lots of benefits, with some unique ones for couples. Not sure if assisted living is right for you and your spouse? It depends on how you want to live your life for the foreseeable future. For many couples, staying together is what’s most important.
Alyssa M. Lanzi, a research assistant professor in the department of communication sciences and disorders at the University of Delaware in Newark says:
“Assisted living communities can be great for couples that are looking to continue to live together while needing some support for daily activities.”
Angela Stewart, vice president of clinical services at senior living company Touchmark agrees:
“It’s common for couples to stay together when moving into assisted living, even when they’re on different health tracks.”
Whether or not assisted living is right for you and your spouse right now might depend on factors like:
- Whether or not it’s important that you live together
- How much the higher-functioning partner wants to or is able to assist the other
- If you’re willing to pay for maintaining two homes or just one
This situation – having one partner who needs more help than the other – can put couples at a crossroads where they must decide how and where they should live.
Marissa Kirby, NHA, CHC, CHPC says:
“In many cases, particularly when a couple has been married for many years, the ability to live together can make or break their decision on whether or not to move to an assisted living facility.”
Related: I Think I Need Assisted Living – But I’m Worried About Losing My Independence
Assisted Living for Couples: 5 Reasons To Move Into Assisted Living Together
There are lots of benefits that come with moving to assisted living and those benefits are doubled when you move in as a couple. Here are a few reasons you might want to consider transitioning to assisted living together.
1. You Don’t Have To Care for Your Spouse Daily – Or Rely on Them to Care For You
You’ve always been there for your spouse, and they’ve always been there for you. Caring for each other, from the little things to the big things, is just a part of marriage – it’s right there in your wedding vows.
But as you get older, those big things become bigger and more frequent. And while you’re happy to take care of one another, there may come a day when it becomes a major inconvenience, or even an impossibility. Maybe your spouse needs help with everyday activities (like hygiene, grooming or eating) and you’re not able to help as easily as you once could. Or maybe it’s the other way around, and your spouse needs to help you with getting around or performing everyday tasks, and it’s gotten more difficult for them.
Asking for help doesn’t mean that you no longer care about each other. Only that you’re making the decision to make things easier on each other, address any negative feelings between you, and give yourselves your best chance for your Golden Years to be happy and fulfilling.
2. Assisted Living Communities Can Accommodate Different Levels of Care
Even if you and your spouse have different needs, you can both be accommodated at an assisted living community. If one partner barely needs any help at all, it’s still helpful for them to be in the community, so they can live with and support their spouse – and have immediate access to supports if they need them at any time in the future.
3. With Less To Worry About, You Can Just Enjoy Being Together
At a fully inclusive assisted living community like Eagle Flats Village, you won’t just get the basics. Everything is taken care of, from laundry and housekeeping to meals and recreation, so you don’t have to ever worry about it. We also offer free local transportation, weekly church services, an on-site beauty and barber shop for residents, and more. All utilities, including basic cable, are also included with your private apartment. That means you won’t waste precious time worrying over how to get chores done or pay bills – it’s all handled for you!
4. You Can Save Money By Moving Into Assisted Living Together
So much of life is spent working, saving, planning and paying bills. Isn’t it time you let someone else do the worrying? At an all-inclusive community like Eagle Flats Village, your rent, utilities, meals and everything else are taken care of. For most people, that leads to savings. This is especially true if one of you needs to live in assisted living right now – the cost of keeping up one home will be less than the cost of keeping up two.
Not only that, but there will be no more worrying about your mortgage, house payments, home repairs and maintenance, bills or grocery shopping. Instead, you’ll have all the time in the world to take it easy, together.
5. You Can Share New Experiences
You and your spouse might be at a point where you think you know everything there is to know about each other, but in the right community, you’ll try new things together, make new friends and share new experiences. When you’re in an environment that encourages trying new things and building relationships, you’d be surprised with what can happen.
Assisted Living for Couples at Eagle Flats Village in Vernon, Texas
Imagine a worry-free lifestyle where you can focus on strengthening your relationship, improving health and mobility, becoming valued community members, and pursuing new interests – together.
That’s the peace of mind living in Eagle Flats Village provides for couples.
Are you ready to see why more couples are choosing to make the move together?
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