Dad’s Moving into Assisted Living near Spanish Fort, AL : Why It’s the Right Time, Considering His Alzheimer’s

June 16, 2014 by ·

“One Daughter’s Story near Spanish Fort, AL: Why her Dad chose to move into Assisted Living “

My dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s more than a year ago, and while the doctors all told us the more significant aspects about this disease that we are all so familiar with wouldn’t begin to show for him for a few years, apparently my father did a lot of research on the subject. We learned that we had been concerned about some of the issues that were affecting his mind and behavior in recent years, so he learned as much as he could about Alzheimer’s.Assisted Living Spanish Fort AL

He decided that it was time to move into assisted living, and this was more than just a surprise to all of us. My mother and father had been divorced for years and my dad hadn’t remarried or found anyone new. He was alone, but he was strong and was fully capable of taking care of himself. At some point we figured he would need some help, but that wasn’t something that we were thinking would be for some time.

My dad had saved money throughout his life and was well set for his retirement, so he wasn’t concerned about money. He said he would sell his house and that would cover almost every year that he expected to require assisted living.

When I asked him why he wanted to move into an assisted living facility now, he smiled and told me, as calm and peaceful as he ever was, that he knew eventually his memories would fail him. When that happened, the more comfortable he was with his surroundings, and a routine, the better off he would be.

He didn’t want to be frightened to one day wake up and have no recollection about where he was. He wanted to begin to build a routine for himself and be somewhere that, he believed, he’d eventually end up anyway.

For my father, this was apparently the right time for him to seek out an assisted livingfacilitythat had experience working with Alzheimer’s. He kept talking about all of the things that he would be able to do and the friends he would make.

Even though we were all surprised when he brought this up, the more he talked, the more we all realized that he had thought about every detail. That’s my dad, the planner. It’s one reason why he was financially set and able to make this decision when he did. I never would have thought about the importance of settling into assisted living this early, but my father did, and I believe that it’s the right time for him, too, because he says so.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Assisted Living, contact Ashbury Manor Specialty Care and Assisted Living in Mobile AL, at 251-317-3017.

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About Cindy Johnson

Ashbury Manor’s Administrator since 2008, Cindy Johnson is a long-time expert in the assisted living field. Prior to her arrival at Ashbury Manor, Cindy managed acquisitions and crisis management for existing and new larger senior care project developments for eleven years. As regional manager for an Oregon-based assisted living management company, Cindy was directly responsible for operations for five 50-65 bed assisted living facilities. As manager during the transition to new ownership, Cindy reorganized internal operations and conducted leadership training for Executive Directors. As a result of her management and expertise, one of the company’s facilities (in Ocala, Florida) received a deficiency-free survey, resulting in the lifting of a moratorium on operation.

A nurse for 36 years, senior care has always been Cindy’s passion. Desiring to work more closely with residents, Cindy became a Category II Administrator in 2005. As Ashbury Manor’s Administrator, Cindy understands the complexities associated with dementia and cognitive impairment and she has fallen in love with seniors with dementia or cognitive impairment and their families.

Cindy is Treasurer of the local “Senior Coalition” chapter. She enjoys mentoring new candidates who want to become administrators.

As a 16-bed facility, with Cindy's training and experience, our residents and their families can be sure Ashbury Manor’s carefully selected staff provides the expertise of a larger facility while maintaining the individualized personal care of a small special needs home.
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