Assisted living is about possibilities. With personalized care, you get exactly the support you need to live life to the fullest. You can rediscover past interests and pursue new ones. You can enjoy more social encounters, more opportunities, and fewer worries.
Assisted living helps you live at the tempo you desire. Let’s see what that might look like in the day of a particular resident of Linden House Assisted Living at Branchlands, in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Morning
As Alice opens the blinds around her apartment and says good morning to Benny, her miniature poodle, she knows she’s not quite moving like she used to. She’s using a walker, for one. And things take a bit more effort and time.
She can still do a lot. Each independent part of her routine is a point of pride, and Linden House staff encourage her to keep challenging herself.
Of course, she wouldn’t be in assisted living if she didn’t need some assistance. At the knock on the door, she calls for Sarah, a caregiver, to come in. The two of them chat about yesterday’s cold snap while Sarah helps Alice bathe and get dressed.
Now that she’s up and presentable, she wants to mingle. So, while Sarah takes Benny out for a walk—part of the pet care services Linden House offers—Alice heads down to the dining room, where she and her friend Beth catch up on the news since last night and their plans for the day.
Midday
Seated yoga starts at 11. Alice lifts her arms, following the instructor’s lead, her movement in synchrony with the three other women in the room. (They’ve been working on their friend Keith to come to a session, but so far he’s resisted.)
Coming out of the class, Alice feels like she usually does. A little tired and a lot better. With a good appetite, too, which leads her back to the dining room along with her yoga friends.
She’s still sitting in the dining room and chatting with Keith when another staff member, Lisa, comes to remind her about her doctor’s appointment. She’d almost forgotten. It used to be such a big deal getting to the doctor and arranging the rides that she would spend days getting ready for it.
Now it’s easy to get rides when she wants to go somewhere, and even easier to see the doctor, since the doctor comes to her. She heads with Lisa to on-site medical office. The doctor checks her blood pressure and oxygen, and then gives her a short cognitive test.
She knows her son worries about her having memory issues like her husband did. Who wouldn’t be afraid of that? While she passes the test with flying colors, it’s good to know that Linden House has a Memory Care community, so that she wouldn’t have to move, or put her family through finding new care, if that ever became an issue.
A Leisurely Afternoon
Beth tries to talk her into joining the afternoon outing. The concierge shuttle will be taking them to a musical performance at The Center. Alice loves attending events and classes at The Center and going on outings more generally.
In the past few months, she’s gone out for lunches and shopping trips, to a winery and a holiday concert. Her very favorite was a show at the Paramount Theater in downtown Charlottesville. But today she just wants to relax. She waves off Beth and heads to Linden House’s nail salon.
After her manicure, she finds a few of her friends in the activity room, where they’re knitting and crafting. In keeping with her day of relaxation, she intends only to join the company and the conversation.
Of course, she finds herself picking up a skein of yarn soon enough. It is a relaxing activity, after all.
Evening, with a bit of magic
At dinner, it occurs to Alice again that she’s glad she didn’t wait longer to join the Linden House community. Some of her friends had thought she should wait longer, until she needed more assistance. Her response? Why wait until she might not be able to take full advantage of all the opportunities?
She’ll be glad to have the extra support when she needs it. For now, she’s happy to be able to do so much—on days when she’s not committed to relaxing, that is.
As the dinner group breaks up, she heads to the theater with Beth, to watch the next episode of Poldark. She still feels that little thrill, like she did as a girl, when the theater lights dim and the first notes of the show’s theme play from the speakers.
At Linden House Assisted Living, we know what kinds of engagement lead to good health and contentment, and we support our residents in finding their own tempo and interests.
For mental stimulation, residents pursue what appeals to them, from art and games to involvement on the resident council. They stay physically active by doing what they enjoy, whether that’s yoga, or group cardio, or regular strolls with the Linden House walking club.
See the current Assisted Living activities calendar here
We provide personalized assistance at their level of need, while encouraging as much independence as possible. With full-time nurses on staff, medication assistance, on-site doctor’s appointments and physical therapy, and concierge transportation for any need, residents and their family members can rest assured that, at all times, they are in good hands.
Get in touch today to learn more about how you might live life to the fullest at Linden House.
