Caring For Elderly Parents – Issues To Consider

by Inspiration4Living.com

If you are considering any kind of senior living facility, you should know that your parents will be assessed to determine their physical and mental abilities before moving in. Many senior housing communities offer continuous care, which means that if the resident’s needs change, they can remain at the same familiar location.

In caring for your elderly parents, you should learn how to assess their needs. Talk to them and ask what kind of assistance, if any, they need right now, such as a cleaning service or help with shopping trips and doctor appointments. Do you feel that your parents are safe living in their own home? If they’ve set the smoke alarm off several times or fallen and injured themselves, then that would indicate that they are not safe in their present environment.

Would you prefer to care for your elderly parents yourself in your home? If you are able to make a bathroom, bedroom and sitting room available for them, this would be ideal. Some people add a ‘granny flat’ onto their house, or are lucky enough to be able to rearrange their living space to accommodate elderly parents. This can work out well, with sometimes three generations living under one roof. It’s not for everyone, though; it all depends on the personalities involved.

If you are caring for your elderly parents in their own home, there are many types of equipment that can make their lives simpler and safer, from a chair-lift for the staircase to a wearable medical alert system, an electric scooter to a walk-in tub. Also available are many kitchen gadgets that make it easier and safer for them to prepare and cook meals; in fact, some of them are so ingenious that I may have to buy some for myself!

So, talk to your parents about their future needs and ask them what they would prefer. Do your homework ahead of time and have enough information to answer any questions they will have. Don’t make them feel that you want to put them into the dreaded ‘old folk’s home’, but rather discuss with them all the options that you have researched. Make sure they know that you are simply concerned about the fact that they are aging and you want to do what’s best for them.

Hopefully, you can have a meaningful conversation about their future, and assure them that you want them to live happily and safely for many years to come.

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