Importance of Person-Centered Care in a Senior Living Community

It’s well established that the most effective care for maintaining independence and living the fullest life possible is through person-centered care – which is why it’s at the core of the philosophy at Timber Ridge. But exactly what is person-centered care? Though the definition of person-centered care model varies, it’s essentially a model that caters to an older adult’s specific health needs, overall wellness, and care preferences consistent with their lifestyle. It’s an emphasis on relationships rather than solely on medical requirements. It’s protecting older adults’ right to make decisions about how they want to live and what care they receive. And, most importantly, it’s providing older adults with independence, dignity, privacy and respect.

Here at Timber Ridge at Talus, the LifeSTYLE Promise^® gives every resident an exceptional level of choice, control and flexibility to live life their way. The person-centered care is focused on providing more lifestyle possibilities and few responsibilities.

A Plan for Each Senior

Designing a schedule, health plan and lifestyle goals for each individual person is the foundation of person-centered care. Creating this personalized plan begins by gathering information about the resident’s preferences in relation to their health circumstances, history and family input. Then, working with the resident, the information is used to shape their life and health goals.

Person-centered care services strive to take every aspect of a person’s life and direct it toward meeting those goals. Examples of such services can include:

• Tailored fitness programs involving activities the individual enjoys and can easily work into their daily routine
• Meal plans catered to the individual’s specific health needs and taste preferences
• Introducing new hobbies and activities based on the individual’s personal interests, with the goal of promoting intellectual, emotional and social wellness
• Customized sleep schedule and nightly routines that will help the individual achieve health goals
• Personal transportation on the individual’s schedule to maximize their sense of independence

At Timber Ridge, we have a Health Care Navigator whose specific job is creating a customized health plan, connecting residents with the right team members and services, coordinating medical appointments, and much more.

Relationship-Building

Person-centered care goes far beyond being in a friendly community. It’s a genuine connection between residents and team members. In a person-centered model of care, the community’s staff take the time and energy needed to learn an individual’s unique background and personality preferences, so that they may better help the individual live fully. The only way to make a lasting impact on individuals in person-centered care is through building trust. This special attention to socially driven rather than a medically driven philosophy is what sets person-centered care communities apart.

Person-centered care in assisted living is a prime example. The relationship between residents and team members is vitally important in assisted living, because the entire goal is to maximize the resident’s independence while keeping them safe. If a resident and team member have a poor relationship, it becomes difficult to know when and how the resident wants or needs assistance. In a positive resident-team member relationship, residents are much more likely to feel comfortable being honest about how much assistance they truly need on a daily basis, and in choosing what specific tasks they want help with – which drastically improves their sense of independence, and as a result, their overall well-being.

Community Culture

Ultimately, it’s up to the community and team members to foster a person-centered culture. These key elements will signify that a community has adopted person-centered care as a part of their culture:

• The community will focus on optimizing residents’ holistic well-being through experiences that affirm the individual’s sense by promoting meaningful purpose in daily life.
• The community will generally have a decentralized decision-making process, instead basing decisions on the individual’s interests, preferences and needs.
• Team members work autonomously, enabling them to be more adaptive and flexible to resolve challenges as they occur.
• All team members spend time socializing with residents daily to build personal relationships and learn preferences.
• The community continually assesses resident outcomes and reacts accordingly.
• The community fosters continual learning opportunities for professional training on the latest and best person-centered practices.

Person-centered care is at the very heart of Timber Ridge at Talus as well as helping residents maintain their independence for as long as possible. Timber Ridge services and amenities are unmatched in quality and opportunity, and the approach to care always puts the individual first. Explore the community to learn how to achieve a lifestyle with unlimited independence and the support of a community and dedicated staff.