National Assisted Living Week: Capturing the Moment

By Irene Blumenthal, PT, MHA,
Director of Senior Living Partnerships

Upon hearing the theme for 2018’s Assisted Living Week — “Capture the Moment” — I took a minute to reflect on what that really means. I imagine a snapshot in time, like a picture taken on a smartphone, except for this moment is only seen with your eyes or felt deeply in your heart. Think of all the moments we enjoy every day that we take for granted … being outside with sunshine on our faces, seeing family or friends, eating foods we enjoy, or walking our dog on a breezy day. None of these are earth-shattering moments, like college graduation or a big job promotion. But it’s the culmination of all these amazing little moments that make our life meaningful and give us fulfillment.

When older adults move into assisting living communities, the human need for these uplifting little moments does not go away, even if their ability to physically do them becomes more challenging. We have to think of ways in which bringing these small joys into the lives of the residents to help them feel purposeful and fulfilled. How can we do that when many assisted living residents are functionally impaired, which makes it difficult for them just to do everyday tasks like bathing and walking? Wouldn’t it be amazing if your residents could achieve more joyful memories like going out to a favorite restaurant, visiting a beach and walking on warm sand, or painting a watercolor? So how exactly can you help make this idea a reality?

THINK PROACTIVELY.

Do not wait for something to happen first before seeking the expertise of a physical or occupational therapist. Do not wait until after a fall or when a family is unhappy because a resident’s costs went up due to care needs.

Do you notice that Mrs. Jones is not walking to as many activities as she used to? Have a physical therapist assess what is happening for there may be underlying conditions affecting her gait, and thus could prevent an avoidable fall. Is Mr. Smith slower at dressing himself lately? Have an occupational therapist assess to determine why. Is it shoulder pain, decreased range of motion, or a cognitive change? Knowing and treating the underlying issues can prevent or help delay the increased need for future dependence.

ASK QUESTIONS.

What is meaningful to the resident? We shouldn’t make assumptions. Mrs. Jones might not care about walking to the dining room, but she may care about walking outside with her grandson. Mr. Smith might not care about putting his shirt on independently, but he may care about being able to still go fishing off the docks. Dig to uncover what moments are meaningful to the individual and use that information to help them achieve their goals.

UNDERSTAND FUNCTIONAL WELLNESS.

In my example, Mrs. Jones and Mr. Smith may appear very medically stable…. stable labs, chronic medical conditions managed by medication, stable vital signs. Everything looks good, right? Not necessarily….not if they are each having increased difficulty doing everyday tasks. These declines in function are not a normal part of aging!

Research shows that many evidence-based tests can be used to predict function and increased quality of life of seniors when delivered by a physical or occupational therapist early (see #1 above) before a major event like a fall occurs. Often times it’s near impossible to return to once-loved activities if the interventions are delivered too late to make a meaningful impact on outcomes.

ADVOCATE FOR YOUR RESIDENTS.

All staff members are empowered to advocate for the best possible care for their residents every day. This, of course, benefits the individual to live each and every day to their fullest and achieve more “meaningful moments.” Additionally, it can help the community thrive in other ways. The most obvious improvement could be seen in resident and/or family satisfaction surveys. Residents themselves will feel higher satisfaction as their function and quality of life in the community improves, and their families will express higher satisfaction seeing their loved ones physical as well as emotional gains. But the community sees additional benefits such as higher staff morale, closing the back door on move outs due to increased functional abilities of residents, and decreases in preventable hospitalization rates, and more.

Having a background in both clinical physical therapy as well as senior living operations leadership has taught me a very valuable lesson: When you do what’s right for the residents by proactively initiating therapy services before physical impairments turn into longstanding functional decline, you also improve the overall health of your community. Everyone working in senior living has the responsibility to help residents capture the moments in their lives that make life worth living. This, in turn, does amazing things for the whole community … and who wouldn’t want that?