Bridgeport - Assisted Living & Senior Care Facilities

Assisted Living Tidbits:

Having passion and enthusiasm for assisted living and caregiving!

One of the things we have noticed in our years of fielding questions about assisted living is that when families and individuals are researching assisted living, most of the time, questions are about tangible subjects, such as what amenities and services may be offered at a particular facility. Or, they may question what type of menu is offered at the facility, and if they can accommodate special dietary requests, or directions from their doctor. Other questions may be related to the health of the potential resident, and if the facility is able to handle conditions such as late-stage Alzheimer's, or perhaps someone with dementia who can be combative.

These are all great questions to be sure. However, we do think it is also important to look at things that may not be so easily described in a brochure - the intangible items.

One of these 'intangibles' that we'd like anyone looking into an assisted living facility is passion. Does the facility owner (or owners) have a true passion for caring for the elderly, and do the staff and caregivers have it too? This is something that is hard to 'bluff' your way through, and a visit (or visits) to any facility you are interested in will likely soon reveal if there is passion and enthusiasm present in the home or facility.

How do the owners, managers, or staff speak about their jobs, lives, and residents. Is there a lot of complaining, or victim-hood, or do the speak in terms of having a sense of purpose, and that caregiving and assisted living is what they were meant to do?

How about facial expressions? As you see the various employees and staff walking around, as well as the residents, do you see smiles, or do you see 'furrowed brows' and slumped postures? These can be very direct clues as to the emotional atmosphere of the facility.

Placing yourself, or a loved-one in a facility is a monumental decision, and one that should be taken with every angle and consideration - tangible and intangible - investigated thoroughly.

The video above should serve as an example of someone having a passion for what they do. We took this clip from a larger interview that we conducted in mid-2011, and felt that this was a profound example of someone who was meant to be a caregiver, and an owner of an assisted living facility - the type of owner that should be sought out when considering any assisted living facility or home in Bridgeport, or anywhere else.