assisted living for both parents

Posted on: 20 January 2023

People who have sustained neurological deficits as a result of traumatic brain injuries, Parkinson's disease, or stroke may be unable to live by themselves. Because of their physical and mental limitations, an assisted living facility may be a safer option for them. Here are some programs offered by assisted living facilities that may help enhance your quality of life if you have neurological deficits.

Speech Therapy

Strokes, Parkinson's, and traumatic brain injuries can cause swallowing problems. Difficulty swallowing can raise your risk for choking and aspiration pneumonia. The speech therapist at an assisted living facility can perform a swallowing evaluation to determine which foods and drinks are safe for you to consume.

The swallowing evaluation can also reveal problems with the muscles that are responsible for effective swallowing and it may also help determine if you are at risk of aspirating food and liquids into your lungs.

After the speech therapist assesses your swallowing abilities, they can then recommend the best diet for you. Diets for people with neurological and swallowing deficits may include mechanically altered diets such as pureed diets and chopped food diets. Also, if you have trouble swallowing thin liquids, the speech therapist can recommend a special product known as a thickener, which when mixed with thin liquids such as water or coffee, can enhance their consistency so that the liquid is less likely to "go down the wrong pipe."

Restorative Programs

If you have neurological problems such as weakness, paralysis, rigidity, or muscle spasms, you may be unable to get dressed, take a bath or shower, feed yourself, or brush your teeth. Restorative programs offered by assisted living facilities can help promote muscle strength and coordination so that the aforementioned tasks are easier to manage.

Certified nurses aides, physical and occupational therapists, and nurses can provide restorative interventions. These interventions may include teaching you strengthening exercises, working with you so that you have better coordination when walking up and down stairs, and helping improve your grip strength and coordination when holding eating utensils.

Many neurologically-impaired patients have trouble feeding themselves because they are unable to grip the thin handle of a spoon, fork, or knife. The assisted living staff can also provide you with special eating utensils that have thicker, or "built-up" handles so that you can grip them better.

If you have neurological deficits as a result of a stroke, injury, or other medical condition, consider the above benefits that an assisted living facility can provide. In addition to speech therapy and restorative interventions, you may also enjoy socializing with other residents in the community and forging new friendships.

For more information about assisted living, contact a local facility.