Retirement homes for the elderly are a cheaper and better social alternative to traditional rest homes
Imagining your own old age can be scary; yet, like every important phase of our life, it should be faced in a novel and constructive way, with determination.
To compensate for the lesser physical strength and the inevitable ailments, nowadays, there is a greater experience and awareness, from which to draw new ideas to better enjoy this period of life, finding pleasure in what it offers.
In this regard, one of the latest variations on the subject of the elderly is called a "retirement home" for senior citizens and promises to supplant traditional old age homes.
What is a retirement home?
A retirement home for the elderly aka senior citizens is conceived as a multi-residence housing facility intended for the elderly. The phenomenon, born in Denmark in the 1960s, has only become rather popular in recent years, especially in North America.
It is a community in which every senior citizen has his or her own space - a room or an apartment - and at the same time shares with other seniors the common living areas.
In this way, everyone preserves privacy and autonomy, and but gains the company of people who are not only neighbors, but who become friends, because everyone decides to voluntarily share a part of their existence - through the common use of the dining room, the living room, the library, the garden, and everything else you can imagine having in a house.
The advantages of a retirement home for senior citizens (and a disadvantage)
1. It offers a better quality of life, mental and emotional. In fact, these retirement homes for senior citizens are not considered as "final destination" places, like nursing homes or rest homes, but as new and exciting ways to continue enjoying life.
2. It is a true community. Those who live in a retirement home for senior citizens have their friends at their fingertips which is a great benefit - at any age.
3. Guarantees more privacy. Everyone has his or her own space and the moments of sharing are not forced. In fact, each person chooses how to manage their time with friends and their own privacy.
4. It is cheaper. Generally, this solution costs less than a nursing home because resources are pooled.
5. It provides more security. You are not alone. If you need your friends - people who know your habits and are used to your presence - they are ready to come to your rescue. In addition, the lower cost also allows you to pay for extra external help when needed.
6. Everyone has a say. Managing common living areas in an egalitarian way means that everyone has an equal right to express his or her opinion and issues that affect the common good are decided communally.
In the face of all these positive aspects, nevertheless, a retirement home for senior citizens may perhaps offer a lower level of medical care than a nursing home; but if you consider the benefits of an emotionally more fulfilling life and being surrounded by positive people who look out for each other due to real affection, then this disadvantage can be easily overcome and resolved.
Disadvantages of traditional nursing and rest homes
1. Astronomical cost. Nursing and rest homes are the most expensive form of long-term care.
2. Poor mental and emotional health. Leaving one's home for a place perceived by a senior citizen to be aseptic and impersonal can lead to feelings of loss, loneliness, and depression, which do not positively affect their state of health.
3. Possible poor care and negligence. The staff present in a nursing home takes care of senior citizens because they must do their jobs to get paid. In a retirement home for senior citizens, everyone looks out for the other because they are friends.
4. Loss of independence. It may be difficult for an elderly person to change his or her routine and adapt it to the standard nursing home program. This loss of autonomy undermines self-esteem.
5. Far away. Sometimes a nursing home can be far away from the rest of the family, and it is rare that the nursing home staff can replace relatives and provide the familiarity and closeness that most seniors desire.
6. Poor quality of food. In general, in the preparation of meals in a nursing home not much attention is paid to the quality of the ingredients, nor to the final result. At a retirement home, with your friends, everyone can choose the best food for their individual needs.
7. Roommates are not chosen. In a nursing home, you cannot choose the person who will be in the room next to you or even worse, in the same room.
As a senior citizen as in youth, the company you keep is a panacea. Human beings are usually animated by the desire for connection, while at the same time feeling the need to protect their intimacy and privacy. The ability to maintain independence while living with friends is the ideal solution for any age.
What do you think?
