How Your Senior Living Choices Can Affect Your Recovery

Many people often forget that addiction recovery is generally a lifelong challenge and, as such, must be considered even into one's senior years. The lifestyle and living choices that are made by those in recovery as they move into old age will be critical to ensure a stronger more sustained recovery process. Here are the most common living choices that are suggested and used by those in recovery.

A Facility with Specific Recovery Experience and Support

If you can afford it, and one is available, then elderly care and living arrangements in a facility or residential care unit that has specific experience with your recovery process is a top choice. Depending on what the recovery is from, this may be the best solution and will allow for normal elderly life, with a specific focus on your sustained recovery. These facilities will be few and far between and, as such, you will need to network and research widely to find what you’re looking for. Speak to the specific recovery support clinics and staff that you’ve been attending and then make as many visits as are allowed to understand the support and the facility to see if it’s a good fit for your elderly needs.

Assisted Senior Living

There are several definitions and explanations of assisted or supported living. At the most basic, it is about supporting the elderly with their day-to-day tasks and lifestyle to enable them to live the fullest and healthiest of lives. Being supported through your recovery will be no different to the care and support provided through senior living Houston, where the idea is to provide the elderly with daily care and support, but also allow a level of independence and normal societal engagement. Having access to activities on site, as well as going on outings and attending events with other residents, will create a system of support that will aid recovery. These assisted living facilities also have fully qualified medical staff and, as such, the support will be holistic, which is always best for recovery from any form of addiction and lifestyle challenges.

Home Living with Ongoing Visits and Support Programs

Staying at home, if your physical and mental health allows, will be a great solution and aids in recovery in that you will have consistency and familiarity. However, anyone in recovery will also need to have access to support and have joined suitable support groups to attend and practice with. So, if you’re planning on staying in your own home, set up the necessary networks and support structures to support you to this as best you can. You will need to commit to social support and ensure that you’re following through with any suggested strategies and behavioral changes for your recovery.

The Wrong Choices

There are some good choices to make for the best recovery support through old age. However, there are also certain aspects and situations to avoid.

Lone living: Living alone in your elderly years is a surefire way to return to previous addictions and bad habits. Avoid this.

Too much free time and no hobbies: Having too much idle time is one of the main ways those in recovery relapse and is bad for your mental health.

Concluding Comments

Given that any addiction recovery is a lifelong process, it is essential to be able to look at all of the living options very carefully for your entire lifespan, including your elderly years. It is often one's lifestyle that creates challenges around mental health, addiction, and even the recovery process. Having a space where your recovery needs are considered from the outset is the best way to go.