It’s not easy to make changes in your senior’s living situation. There are a lot of feelings and logistics that go along with those changes, and it can take a while to find the right options for your elderly family member. Here’s some information to keep in mind.
Determine Just How Much Care She Needs Now
Take an honest look at how much care your senior needs right now. Are you and other family members able to keep up with those needs? That’s nothing to feel bad about if the answer is no. Life is busy, and between career demands and other family demands, like taking care of children, time and energy get stretched thin. It’s important to find ways to meet your senior’s needs that allow you to catch your breath, too.
Think Carefully about How Her Needs Might Change
It’s important to take that same honest questioning to what you and your senior think the future might hold for her. There’s no way to have a perfect view of what the future holds, of course, but you can extrapolate what you think might change based on her current health issues and her prognosis. Remember that can change but keep it all in mind.
Examine What Type of Living Situation She Wants
If aging in place in her current home isn’t an option for your elderly family member, it’s time to talk about what other types of living situations she’s okay with. Finding this out now helps you to ensure that the options you find for her to consider are ones that are going to mesh with what she wants.
Make the Decision Sooner Rather than Later
The big problem is waiting too long to make these decisions. It’s possible that your senior only needs a little help now, but that a retirement community will meet her needs in a big way within a few months or years. Waiting too long to make the decision and to take action can mean that she’s in a worse position later to adjust to her new living situation. Any time that you’re trying to meet your senior’s needs, you want to try to anticipate how those needs are changing as much as you can.
These are big changes for your senior and for you, so remember to be gentle with everyone involved. That’s going to help tremendously as everyone adjusts to a new normal.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering a move to Supportive Living in Glen Carbon, IL or surrounding areas please contact the caring staff at Knollwood Retirement Community today. 618-394-0569
Offering seniors age 65 and older a wealth of amenities to retain as much independence as they are able, with support, in a home-like environment in our supportive living community.
