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Waterloo assisted living

Retirement homes offering support and assistance in Waterloo

Find Waterloo retirement homes with assisted living listed below. Assisted living in a retirement community gives seniors a setting where they thrive anew. Care is available—but retirement homes offer much more: a community of fellow seniors, a bright new environment, daily activities to join, and new things to learn. 

Many seniors resist the idea of moving to a seniors’ home. Those who do move often wonder later why they had any prejudice or reservations. People often say, “I wish I had done this sooner!” Investigate communities below to find out how wonderful they are! 

How to know when it’s time to look for a retirement home

Here are a few indicators that families should get serious about finding a retirement home. With regard to all these factors, you don't want to procrastinate and reach a crisis. 

A fall or more than one fall. Falls by seniors get more serious each time. The first bad fall is a yellow flag. The second is a red flag. 

Being widowed. This is an extremely difficult adjustment, especially if couples have been married for a long time. If someone gets widowed in their 70s, 80s, or later, it may be best to move on to a new home, one that will alleviate loneliness, and more. Look over all the benefits of senior living. 

Worsening health. If your parent has a chronic health condition like COPD, heart issues, emphysema, etc., consider assisted living. The healthcare professional you work with will also mention this, of course. But in that case, start looking and get your parent interested in what's out there. See our full look at the decision to move to a retirement home.

Diminished attention to personal care or hygiene. Especially if people are living alone, families should be wary of signs they're paying less attention to personal hygiene. Things like bedsores or consistently unkempt hair can be a sign of depression. Address this.

Noticeable weight loss. When elderly loved ones stop buying the right foods or enough food that should be concerning. 

You have overtaxed family caregiving. If you’re stepping in to help mom or dad with errands, this will start to intrude on your own life. You may feel like you owe it to them for all they’ve given you. Don't burn yourself out. A thriving retirement home with professional care and people on hand to help them 24-7 will be much better for both of you. 

These are just a few of many possible signs that it might be time to consider assisted living. 

Seven tips to help you make the best choice for your family

These quick tips link to other resources on our site that will help you in your research. 

1. Focus first on the quality of care. Focusing on proximity to your home or cost or other issues can detract from finding the very best care you need. Those things are important but see the next point.

2. Work with a clear list of wants and needs. Know what you can’t live without and what’s “nice to have.” We go into all the steps you should take in a well-thought process, in our look at how to choose a great retirement home. 

3. Have at least three options on your shortlist. You need to compare retirement communities to each other. 

4. Give yourself lots of time. You’re choosing a home. Make this decision with the gravity and time that it deserves. That’ll give you time to develop instincts for this and to make a wise decision. “When you’re shopping for a house, you get a feeling when you walk in. You just know,” says Talia Khanania. That’s one of many expert tips on researching retirement homes. 

5. Ask lots of questions. There are over 130 good questions you should ask retirement homes in our Ultimate Retirement Tour Checklist. You might not need all of them, but you’ll find the checklist handy. Print off multiple copies, and use one for each community you tour. 

6. Try it before you buy it. A trial stay in a retirement home gives you a full one or two-week window into the life of the community you’ll be joining. (Prepare to get excited about moving.)

7. Repeat: don’t do this in a rush. Even if you’re in a health emergency, slow down. Breathe. Pray, meditate, whatever works for you. But don’t do this in a mad rush. Have faith that you’ll find the right care that you need.  

Those are just basic tips. Follow the links above to learn all the ways Comfort Life can help.

Read Kitchener-Waterloo retirement home reviews before you commit to a community.

More resources from Comfort Life to help you move forward

Learn much more about the decision and moving process at the following links:

• Steps every family should take in the choosing process.
• How to talk to elderly parents about senior care 
• Questions to ask retirement homes about costs
• How you'll cover the costs of senior living
• All about moving into assisted living