How Personalized Wellness Services Can Deliver Quality Care

As the senior care industry continues to evolve, the demand for personalized wellness services has grown significantly. By tailoring services to meet the unique needs of each resident, senior care communities can deliver specialized, high-quality care that fosters trust and enhances satisfaction. Despite the challenge of serving a growing population, it is crucial for these communities to prioritize personalization in their approach.

Read on to learn why personalized care should be a top priority for your community and discover innovative strategies for implementing personalization in care delivery.

Why Personalized Care Matters

Charles James, executive director of Sage Life

The senior care industry has seen a paramount shift in focus to personalized care, and with good reason. Charles James, executive director of Sage Life, explains that every resident is unique and has their own needs, preferences, and goals. “By tailoring our care, we can ensure they’re treated with respect, compassion, and dignity, and can create a more supportive environment,” he says.

Personalized care offers many benefits, such as more proactive healthcare management to a more fulfilling and social lifestyle. It can also contribute to residents’ sense of security, as well as make them feel heard and seen.

Personalized care plays a major role in attracting potential residents, too. “I think it’s extremely appealing,” says James. “I think it tells [residents] that we see them as individuals, not just numbers.” Additionally, family members have peace of mind, knowing that their loved ones receive the specific care and services they need.

Successful Implementation of Personal Care Strategies

Sage Life provides individualized care plans for activities of daily living, medication management, physical and occupational memory. The community designs programs that stimulate cognitive function for memory care residents. Residents can also access customized dining and wellness programs for a comprehensive and personalized approach.

Before residents move in, the community conducts an assessment involving conversations with residents, families, and healthcare providers. “These conversations help us understand a resident’s medical history, care needs, personalized preferences, and any goals they’re trying to achieve,” James explains.

Using that information, the community develops a care plan that guides the teams. The plans are monitored and adjusted as needed on an ongoing basis to ensure they continue to meet residents’ evolving needs.

Similarly, Sage Life creates customized dining plans with the collaboration of the residents, healthcare providers, families, and other professionals. These plans reflect residents’ dietary restrictions and preferences, including diabetic-friendly and low-sodium diets.

James explains that the residents are the ones who shape the community’s programming. They can participate in regular council and food meetings, sharing their suggestions and thoughts on existing programming. “We have a really awesome life enrichment team that actively engages with residents to understand their hobbies, skills, aspirations, and goals,” he says. These conversations have resulted in the creation of programs like yoga and Zumba classes and specialized fitness sessions.

Since the availability of personalized care is appealing to potential residents, Sage Life includes these programs and options in its marketing materials, tours, and brochures. “We really look to highlight real examples of how we tailor care,” James says. The community also shares resident and family testimonials on its website that describe how personalized care changes residents’ lives for the better.

How to Increase Personalized Care

Effective implementation of personalized programming and care starts with observation and listening. “Engage with residents and families and staff to identify what residents need and want most,” James recommends. Listen to personal histories, health needs, and preferences, and then try to build systems that collect ongoing resident feedback, such as reviews and dining meetings. “Training staff to adopt a person-centered approach is really critical,” adds James.

With an increased focus on personalized care, senior care communities have many opportunities to listen to what residents want and deliver unique programs and experiences that matter most. Doing so can help communities compete in the market while also enhancing resident satisfaction and quality of care.

Paige Cerulli

Paige Cerulli is a contributing writer to i Advance Senior Care.