Caring for elderly parents often involves navigating sensitive topics. Addressing the possibility of transitioning to assisted living or another level of senior care can be a difficult conversation for you both. How can you approach this conversation with your parents in a way that is respectful and compassionate?
BE PREPARED
Before approaching the topic of transitioning with your parents, take some time to reflect on why you feel it's necessary to have this conversation. Do you have concerns about their safety at home? Have there been any recent incidents, like falls, that have raised red flags? Are they showing signs of increasing loneliness or forgetting to take their medications? As a caregiver, do you feel overwhelmed by the level of care Mom or Dad requires? Compile a list of these factors to have on hand when you sit down with them.
EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS
How do you know which option is right for your parent? To learn more about our senior living options and start the process of deciding which is best for your loved one, read about our Housing and Services. Then give us a call to talk about your loved one's specific needs. If you're aware of your options, it will make broaching that subject easier when the time comes.
USE A TEACHABLE MOMENT AS YOUR SPRINGBOARD
Many adult children of seniors aren't quite sure when to bring up the subject of moving into senior living ... until something happens to force the issue. Maybe it's a fall or other incident at home that indicates they may not be safe there much longer, or perhaps your loved one isn't eating those Meals on Wheels you have delivered to their door every day. Use these moments as your cue to bring up senior living.
BE PREPARED TO HAVE MULTIPLE CONVERSATIONS
If Mom or Dad is very independent, it may take awhile for the idea of moving into senior living to sink in. Unless you feel your parent is unsafe living alone, or if caregiving is becoming more than you can manage, be content to wait a bit after your first talk to allow your parent to come to their own realization that moving won't be the signal of the end of life, but the beginning of an exciting new chapter.
DON'T WAIT FOR A CRISIS TO TAKE A TOUR
A great time to take a tour and plan for senior living is before you need it. We're happy to give potential residents or their children a tour of our communities. Many older adults have an outdated vision of what senior living is, and seeing our vibrant communities can be an eye-opener. Many people don't realize that Independent Living and Active 55+ communities offer benefits aside from physical care, like living a maintenance-free lifestyle, socializing with like-minded adults, and spiritual, emotional and mental support. Isolation at home for older adults is a major health concern. Often the adult children don't notice their parent is isolated and the older adult won't say they're lonely.
These are all great tips. But, we've found, oftentimes it's the son or daughter of a senior who makes more of this talk than the senior themselves. We may assume everyone, including Mom and Dad, wants to live at home for as long as possible. But that may not always be the case. It depends on your loved one's lifestyle and needs. If one spouse has passed away and the other is living alone, that makes for a lot of lonely days and nights. Senior living means being in a community of friends, with activities to enjoy, people to socialize with, and a whole new way of life. Maybe it's Mom and Dad who are wondering how to broach the subject with you!
For more advice on talking to your parents about senior living, contact us. We're happy to help!