A Care Continuum Designed To Fit Your Changing Needs

That’s why it is important to find a partner in your aging journey that is ready to guide and care for you, every step of the way.

Consider these steps your roadmap in a journey that’s uniquely designed to align with an aging adult’s ever-changing needs. This means seniors can move seamlessly from care in the home or to senior living if and when their personal and health care needs change.

Today’s aging adults have plenty of options and having choices for each phase of life is essential. Matching with the appropriate level of care might seem daunting, but it’s crucial to ensuring quality of life throughout all stages of aging.

Here is a guide to the aging adult health care continuum:

When help is needed with everyday tasks or medical needs, home care and home health teams are ready to assist while allowing individuals to stay in the comfort of their own homes. This means seniors can remain in the comfort of their home and community while receiving the services they need to thrive.

For those with disability or mobility challenges, or who simply need a little extra help with day-to-day living, you or your family member can also receive personal care and daily living assistance around the home. Household tasks an in-home caregiver might perform are laundry, light housekeeping, and meal preparation but also personal care services are available and could include grooming, bathing and kind and compassionate companionship. A home care aide can also run errands like shopping and post office tasks.

Home health care can be provided in addition to home care and may include professional, skilled nursing or therapy services for patients with chronic illnesses like diabetes, cancer or emphysema. In addition, home health care professionals can monitor medications, blood pressure, provide IV therapy, wound treatment and also offer physical, speech or occupational therapies.

All of these important services empower individuals to stay in their homes safely, comfortably and surrounded by compassion, which also provides family or friend caregivers with peace of mind.  

For individuals in need of a little help recovering from illness or injury after hospitalization, home health care or short-term rehab are great options. Ready to help you get back on your feet faster, short-term rehab is appropriate for those who have been discharged from the hospital after surgery but are not yet ready to go home. Home health care can offer very similar benefits but allow you to return home. Both services can provide physical, occupational or speech therapy, along with skilled nursing care.

Many active adults 55-plus find senior living is the perfect option when it’s time to simplify life. Now is the time to escape the everyday hassle of lawn care, snow removal and tedious home repairs. Seniors can find independence with senior living options while also discovering a sense of community.

Senior living communities like Crystal Brook by Knute Nelson and Grand Arbor by Knute Nelson, allow aging adults to discover a full slate of activities to encourage health and wellness, like the Nelson Wellness Center. At Grand Arbor, they can enjoy endless dining options with newfound friends at the Pioneer Grill.

Becoming more popular are “aging-in-place” living options that offer individuals and their families a continuum of care that takes a holistic approach.

Senior communities provide a way for aging adults to take charge of their own lives while offering an interdependent experience with support from both staff and other community residents.

Most communities come with the benefit of on-site services that take care of tasks like lawn care, snow removal or fixing that cranky furnace, giving individuals more time to enjoy the activities and people they love. Activities might include walking clubs, book clubs, art classes, lectures and day trips to nearby museums, parks and sporting or performance events. All of these activities are either on-site or nearby and can be enjoyed with friends and neighbors in the community.

When a little extra assistance is needed, senior living communities can offer higher care level options such as assisted living, enhanced assisted living, long-term care and memory care. 

While serving these increasing needs for physical care, communities often focus on opportunities for social interaction and an enhanced quality of life by focusing on social and mental well-being, including playing games, discover a new skill while participating in arts and crafts or exploring their spiritual side at worship services.

Family members find comfort in the many services assisted living and enhanced assisted living communities provide, knowing that there is 24-hour care for their loved one. Aging adults who need more help find assistance with health maintenance, health monitoring and personal care needs all while surrounded by dining, wellness facilities and activities on-site.

Those who need more services on the care continuum can count on an enhanced assisted living community to provide skilled medical care for more complex, chronic mobility or health issues. Memory care communities and staff provide individuals with a nurturing environment for activities, medical and therapeutic services, all of which allow them to live comfortably and safely.

When a family member is critically ill and has a life expectancy of less than six months, hospice care is an option. Individuals and their families find solace from bereavement counseling, spiritual care, pain management and therapies that soothe including music and healing hands. Hospice can be provided wherever an individual calls home – private residence or a senior living community. 

Do you need or know anyone who may need assistance with any of the offerings mentioned above? If so, call and speak with Knute Nelson’s care coordinator at (320) 537-8076 to help get you started and answer any questions you may have. If you are interested but not sure where to start, begin by taking Knute Nelson’s online assessment to provide you with personalized insight to options that may be a good fit for you, a friend or a loved one.

With multiple senior living communities and an array of home service options throughout Minnesota, Knute Nelson is a prime example of a health care provider that grows with an individual, helping them and their families navigate their unique path to an enriching life.

To learn more about Knute Nelson’s services and senior living options, fill out a form, or call us at (320)-421-0242.