Taylor Leddin-McMaster (Host): Hello, listeners. Thank you for tuning in to the Well Within Reach podcast, brought to you by Riverside Healthcare. I'm your host, Taylor Leddin-McMaster, and joining me today is Megan Bishop, Director of Marketing for Riverside Senior Life Communities, who is here to talk about the transition into senior living. Welcome.

Megan Bishop: Thank you.

Host: Before we get into today's topic, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Megan Bishop: Sure. My name is Megan Bishop. I'm the Director of Sales and Marketing here at Riverside Senior Life. I joined Riverside in October of '25. I bring about 20 years of helping seniors and families navigate senior living and healthcare options.

Host: Oh, wonderful. Well, we're lucky to have you. Thank you for being here. So, can you explain the different types of senior living options that Riverside offers?

Megan Bishop: Sure. Riverside has a comprehensive care network. What that means is we offer Westwood Estate homes, which are two and three-bedroom one-level homes with attached garages. We have independent living apartments, which are one and two-bedroom apartments with in-unit laundry and garage availability. Then, we offer assisted living and memory care at both our Kankakee and our Bourbonnais Grove locations, as well as Miller Rehab, which is our skilled nursing rehab location.

Host: Yeah. So, that is a lot of options. Lots to pick from. Let's talk about some of the biggest misconceptions that people have about senior living communities. What are some of the things you hear often like that?

Megan Bishop: So, the biggest thing is, "I'm going to lose my independence." That's the biggest one that we hear often. They assume that senior living takes the freedom away, but what it does is really allows you to enjoy life and not have all of the hindrances of maintaining a home, and worried about driving, and cooking, and cleaning, as well as the social aspect too.

Some people think that senior living means a nursing home, and that's not what it means. It's really about a communal atmosphere and a community life that brings purpose and enjoyment, builds friendships. Some people wait too long. They think that it's only when they have serious health problems. We encourage people to really make that decision when they're planning, so that they're not waiting for a crisis, and then you have a last-minute decision to make.

Host: Sure, yeah. I think that's kind of the way still for a lot of people. They think that they have to wait until something happens. And if that is the case, what do you say are some early signs that it might be time to consider some of that additional support or a transition to senior living?

Megan Bishop: Sure. So, there's some practical, like, day-to-day signs that we see. If keeping up with the house and the chores are becoming really difficult, taking care of the home, the interior, the exterior, the lawn maintenance, if cooking regular nutritious meals becomes a challenge, maybe missing medications, trouble with managing all the medications, driving is less safe and not as comfortable, just wanting a simpler lifestyle, and those are some of the signs that we're seeing, and that's a great way for families to kind of notice what's going on.

Host: Yeah, that's a great transition to my next question, which is if families are thinking maybe it might be time for a loved one to take that step, are there other physical or emotional or social changes that might be indicative of time to explore options?

Megan Bishop: Yeah. I think, definitely as you're caregiving and families are supporting, if they notice that that support is increasing, that there's more frequent hospital visits or frequent falls or near falls, maybe they're seeing signs of more memory loss and cognition concerns.

Caregivers feel all the stress of it too. And so, we want families to see things like driving, personal care, managing the medications, and maybe showing signs of isolation, not wanting to go out, not wanting to engage as much, because getting ready may be more of a challenge. So, families can start to see those, and they'll see those slowly, and we encourage them to just take note of and mindful of that.

Host: Yeah, that's really helpful. Well, great. Before we continue our conversation, we're going to take a quick moment to talk about the importance of primary care.

At Riverside, our primary care providers are right here in your community, offering personalized care for you and your family, close to home and connected to the specialists and services you may need. Having a primary care provider means having someone who knows you, listens to you, and helps you stay well through every stage of life, from annual checkups and preventative screenings to managing everyday concerns when they pop up, because remarkable care should never be out of reach. Remarkable care right where you live.

To find a primary care provider who's right for you and your family, visit myrhc.net/acceptingnew.

And we're back. you had mentioned isolation being maybe a sign to explore some other options. How can isolation or loneliness impact an older adult's health and quality of life?

Megan Bishop: Yeah, isolation and loneliness can affect much more than an adult's social life. Over time, it can influence emotional well-being, physical health, safety, and just the overall quality of life. It's harder to stay active, engaged, confident when you're not feeling yourself, or it's a challenge to get ready in the morning. You may see the increased risk of missed medications, poor nutrition, reduced activity. These can all impact an overall well-being of a person.

Host: Yeah, absolutely. You kind of touched on this before, but when would you say aging independently potentially can become unsafe?

Megan Bishop: Yeah. It really, happens when those day-to-day tasks become challenging. Getting ready, common signs include frequent falls, the missed medications, poor nutrition, trouble with bathing or dressing. So, it's unsafe when isolation grows, and, emergencies may go unnoticed. We had an emergency when we had a tornado in our community recently, and we saw an increase of families reaching out to us post-storm to communicate that their loved one didn't know what to do in that situation or didn't hear the sirens. And so, we see that that isolation and living alone can be scary and unsafe.

Host: So, that can be a difficult conversation to start with your loved one. What advice would you give to families who might not know how to start that conversation?

Megan Bishop: Yeah. It really starts with empathy, patience, slow down the conversation, understand what your loved one's goals really are. Are they trying to have a maintenance-free life? Well, let's provide that. Talk about that it's not about losing independence, it's gaining friendship, it's gaining peace of mind. We can learn to paint, whether you painted before or not. You can swim, you can go on outings and activities, and we have lots of different options for seniors. And so, it's really just communicating that it's about giving up those stressors and just embracing and finding purpose.

Host: Yeah. Look at the positives and kind of encourage that.

Megan Bishop: Yeah. Just stay in that empathy and really listen to what your loved one wants. The last thing that you want to do is not have the conversation, and then a crisis happens, and then you have to make a decision quickly, urgently, and it may not be what they wanted. We see so many seniors make that decision when they're able and they're choosing their path, and they embrace our senior living.

Host: That's wonderful to hear. And we kind of talked about this at the top, but a lot of people might focus on what they might be losing by moving. Let's talk some more about what they're gaining from this transition.

Megan Bishop: Yeah. So, they're really gaining more comfort, connection, purpose. They gain a peace of mind, having support of a community, and the freedom that comes with leaving all that maintenance behind. And the joy of, you know, more opportunities for friendship, camaraderie, engagement.

Host: Absolutely. if you have any examples of, in your time here so far, what are some of the biggest quality of life improvements that you've seen after someone moves into a senior living community?

Megan Bishop: Yeah. What we see is that with all those responsibilities lifted of maintaining a home, they are finding connections, making new friends, joining committees, being part of a resident council, just really still maintaining a lot of purpose and joy within their day. They gain a lot of confidence and comfort. They don't have to worry as much. And so, we're there to provide a quality of life.

Host: Yeah. And I just want to say my team and I have been to the senior life communities for various projects and whatnot, and we always leave and are like, "Can we live here?" Like, I can't wait till I'm older.

Megan Bishop: I always say that we get to have a lot of fun, even as an employee of senior living, because engaging with our residents, and the fun that we get to have, we throw parties, and we just really enjoy. Because watching someone have joy and fulfilled really does provide your own satisfaction and fulfillment.

Host: Yeah, I can only imagine. And yeah, there's a lot of programming you provide.

Megan Bishop: We have a pool.

Host: Ooh. Win. And my last question is just kind of a wrap-up if there's anything else you'd like to mention, and specifically if there's anything about the programming that you didn't mention that you'd like to chat about.

Megan Bishop: Yeah, I think that Riverside does provide that continuum of care. That whole comprehensive care environment, exceptional experiences are had by our residents every day. Riverside has the benefit of being right there on the campus of Riverside Hospital, of receiving the Riverside transportation. And our buses are all throughout town to doctor's visits, to church, to all kinds of programs and activities.

Residents are always engaged in going out to lunch, going out to dinner, going to plays, and also being really responsible stewards in our community. Our residents are very active and philanthropists, and like to donate and give back to the community, to the Riverside Foundation and to Partners in Caring to help others in their community.

Host: That's remarkable. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate your insight and what you do for the senior community. That's really important. So, thank you for your time today.

Megan Bishop: Thank you for having me.

Host: Of course. And thank you listeners for tuning into the Well Within Reach podcast featuring Megan Bishop. Be sure to like and subscribe to Well Within Reach on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about Riverside Senior Life, go to riversideseniorlife.com.