什么时候从独立生活过渡到辅助生活?

什么时候从独立生活过渡到辅助生活?

Aging is more art than science. Each person ages at a different rate and may face varying health challenges as the years march on. Because of this, navigating health care decisions later in life isn’t always a straightforward proposition. One of those decisions may be trying to decide when is the right time to move into an assisted living community, and when to begin making plans for such a transition.

变老与其说是科学，不如说是艺术。随着时间的推移，每个人的衰老速度不同，可能面临不同的健康挑战。正因为如此，在以后的生活中做出医疗决定并不总是一个简单的命题。其中一个决定可能是决定何时进入辅助生活社区的合适时机，以及什么时候开始为这种过渡制定计划。

What Is Assisted Living?

什么是辅助生活?

A 2019 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that in 2016, 28,900 assisted living and similar resident care communities were in operation in the United States. Assisted living facilities can take a range of forms and provide various kinds of services intended to support older adults who need a little assistance in completing the tasks of daily living.

美国疾病控制与预防中心(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention，简称cdc) 2019年的一项研究发现，2016年，美国有28,900个辅助生活和类似的居民护理社区在运作。辅助生活设施可以采取多种形式，提供各种服务，旨为老年人在完成日常生活任务时提供一点帮助。

When to Make the Move

什么时候开始行动

Most of us aren’t too thrilled how the passage of time might make us a little less able to do the things we used to enjoy so easily – and how it can take a toll on our health. Some people strongly resist the notion of moving to an assisted living community, even though it might be the very best thing for everyone involved. But it’s a complex concept that many people need some time to adjust to.

我们大多数人都不太高兴，时间的流逝可能会让我们不能那么容易地做我们过去喜欢做的事情，以及它会对我们的健康造成的损害。有些人强烈反对搬到辅助生活社区，尽管这对每个人来说都是最好的选择。但这是一个复杂的概念，许多人需要一些时间来适应。

That said, there are some clear signals that indicate it may be time to move from an independent living situation into an assisted living facility, including:

尽管如此，有一些明确的信号表明，现在可能是时候从一个独立的生活状况转到一个辅助生活设施，包括:

· A worsening of medical conditions, an increased number of falls and overall increased frailty.

医疗状况恶化，跌倒次数增加，整体虚弱程度增加。

· Difficulty managing domestic finances or other money problems.

难以管理家庭财产或其他资金问题。

· Difficulty keeping the house clean and a decline in ability to care for oneself.

难以保持房间整洁，自理能力下降。

· Depression or social isolation.

抑郁或社交孤立。

Making the Transition

着手转换

Moving into an assisted living community can be a challenging undertaking. For older adults with cognitive deficits, such as those that arrive with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms or dementia, or other chronic diseases such as Parkinson’s or diabetes, this is particularly true. Changing routine – indeed uprooting an entire life – can feel completely overwhelming at times. This can be a particularly difficult prospect given that grief may be added on top of all the other mixed emotions of leaving the family home for an unfamiliar place full of strangers.

进入辅助生活社区可能是一项具有挑战性的工作。对于有认知缺陷的老年人，比如那些患有阿尔茨海默氏症或其他形式的痴呆症，或其他慢性病，如帕金森症或糖尿病的老年人，这一点尤其正确。改变常规——实际上是彻底改变一生——有时会让人感到完全无法承受。这可能是一个特别困难的前景，离开家到一个充满陌生人的地方，在所有其他复杂的情绪之上可能又增添了悲伤。