Part of a great assisted-living plan is helping your loved one find a good balance between receiving the help they need and maintaining a sense of independence. Here are some tips for helping your loved one find that balance. 

Set Up Good Communication

When your loved one enters a new assisted-living facility, the first thing to do is to set up strong lines of communication between you, your loved one, and the staff at the assisted-living facility. It helps to have some honest talks up front about how much assistance your loved one thinks they will need as well as how much assistance you or the staff anticipates they will need. You can continually reevaluate these needs so that there is enough support but not too much. 

Ensure that Resources Are Accessible 

Before you leave your loved one to themselves in a new assisted-living setup, make sure that they are educated in how to fully reach out and use the resources in their community. Make sure that they've met all of the medical staff in the community and know how to contact them if needed. Ensure that they are forming a strong bond with their staff caretakers and coordinators so that they can independently choose their own activities and routines. 

Help them Grasp onto the Community

Having community support is very important for an independent lifestyle in assisted living. Your loved one will be able to rely on both peers and staff for support if they need it, which can give them the confidence to do more things on their own. They'll have the knowledge that if they fail, someone will be nearby to help. Make sure your loved one is forming connections with other residents and that their personality meshes well with their staff caregivers'. 

Strike a Personal Balance with Your Visits

One last piece that's important for healthy independence is to strike a balance in how much you are available to help. While you may want to ask your loved one what they feel comfortable with from the outset, weekly visits (as opposed to being on call daily) can help with the personal boundaries of both you and your loved one. 

Without the proper care, it can be easy to tip the scale and provide too much or too little support to a loved one in assisted living. But with good communication with your loved one and the assisted-living staff, you can start to find the balance that feels comfortable for all parties involved. 

Talk to an organization such as Cokato Charitable Trust - Cokato Manor for more ideas about finding balance for you and your loved one.