Being Honest: How to Proceed When Your Parent Can’t Live at Home Anymore
It is perhaps one of the most surreal moments in our lives when we notice that our parent’s home is oddly different. Something’s wrong, maybe the place is a little untidy, maybe their personal hygiene is unwell, or maybe they don’t recognize you the moment they see you. In the worst of cases, it may not be a visit at all. It’s not uncommon for an adult child to get a call from a stranger saying their parent is lost and confused, which leads to a difficult realization.
Regardless of the cause of this realization, we all know there will be a time when our loved ones simply can’t live alone anymore. This is the turning point that changes every family. For many, the obvious answer seems to be to move their parent or themselves, so they can live with their parent and provide care. However, this may prove to be an inadequate solution, as it can be difficult to meet everyone’s needs appropriately.
This is where senior living communities and memory care facilities can help.
These vital and active communities are specially designed to help seniors transition from living independently to having access to the help they require. Many assisted living communities can provide your parents with the security and care they need, while allowing them to enjoy a measure of independence at the same time.
Now, if you’d like to ensure your parents are able to live safely and comfortably, it might be time to consider your next step. Here are a few options to think over.
Things to Note
The primary question you have to answer is whether your parent can live alone, or if they need some extra help. To get a better idea of this answer, you should think about the following questions:
- Are my parents capable of maintaining their hygiene? Can they wash and groom themselves? Is there a possibility of them hurting themselves, such as slipping, while doing these tasks?
- Do they need support with activities of daily life?
- Are they capable of doing household chores and maintaining their home?
- Are they capable of doing outside chores and running necessary errands?
- Do they have access to fulfilling mental stimulation?
- Do they have problems with communication?
- Do they feel lonely?
- Are they having problems with memory loss?
If any of these questions seem applicable to your parents, you should start considering care services and other living arrangements. Issues with any of these topics can potentially lead to more serious medical and security problems, so it’s advisable to seek help as early as possible. This doesn’t mean you have to make an immediate and drastic change but take a few small steps. When seniors begin to struggle with one of these issues and are unable to meet these basic needs, they often develop problems in other areas of their lives.
Introduce Care Early
Your primary concern should be to maintain your parent’s current safety and wellbeing while you make arrangements for the future. To do this, you may decide to temporarily live with them and provide care yourself or seek the services of a professional home health or home care organization.
Regardless of your particular situation, it’s crucial that you understand this transitional period can last from days to months, so it is important to ensure no accidents occur during this span of time. As soon as you notice that your parent can’t live safely alone anymore, you should begin taking steps to ensure they remain safe and well cared for.
If you live with several family members who are able to contribute towards their care, it may be feasible to have your parent live with you long-term. However, this arrangement can be exhausting and overwhelming for many, and acting as a 24/7 caregiver may not be possible for everyone.
Look into Assisted Living or Memory Care Facilities
Stereotypical assisted living communities or memory care facilities are now a thing of the past. Today, these senior living care providers often provide a lively environment for seniors to experience their golden years with new friends and friendly caregivers. You may not be entirely sold on the idea of having others care for your parents because you always imagined you would eventually take care of them yourself, but there are many factors with this arrangement you may not have considered. Taking on this task can make managing your life difficult, including your job, family, and your other relationships. Even more upsettingly, it can stress and negatively affect your relationship with your parent.
A long history of refinement and advancements have made memory care facilities and assisted living communities the best places to receive quality care that empowers seniors to relax, and earnestly enjoy their life with safety and security. Your parent will have access to the support and care they need, all from professional caregivers who are compassionate and invested in their wellbeing.
You will finally have peace of mind with the knowledge that your parent has all the care they could possibly need, including physical, psychological, and medical care and support.
Support Your Loved One During the Transition
Transitioning to a residential care community is usually difficult for our aging loved ones. Perhaps the hardest aspect of this transition is ensuring your parent is ready for this change. They will often reject the idea upon proposal, which is natural and expected. This is the time when it’s important to be understanding and compassionate. Your loved one needs to know that you empathize with them and understand it is of course an unsettling and frightening period in their lives. It is best to include them in this decision and have many discussions so that they know they have a choice and so that they feel comfortable as they consider different communities. This is especially important for those facing issues with memory loss as you want them to have time to adjust and ease into the transition.
Reach Out to Us for More Information
We understand the issues and difficulties that arise during this period of transition and are here to help and support families in need. At Camella Living, we strive to create an environment that is welcoming and community oriented. In doing so, we want to empower our residents to live their lives the way they want, with no worries about their long-term care. It is our goal that our residents enjoy an appropriate amount of independence that enables them to thrive, while remaining safe.
If you realize your parent is no longer able to live alone safely, remember, you have support available to you when making this important decision. Our trained and experienced professionals are here to help you, and them, make the transition from their home to ours.
Contact Camella Living at Copley Today!