Making the Move

One of the first questions you will have to answer when making the transition to assisted living is whether or not it is time to do so. Each family will have to answer this question for themselves, as no two situations have the same unique problems and challenges. However, there are some factors that can make an impact on your decision. Here are some things to consider.

 

• Consider how much help is needed at home. There comes a point in many senior adults' lives when they no longer can handle their own care, and the amount of help necessary is more than their adult children can provide, either due to scheduling, distance, or some other factor.

• Consider the individual's medical needs. When continued medical care is needed throughout the day, it's often more cost effective to have the individual's care handled at a facility, rather than through caretakers at home. This is particularly true when round-the-clock care is needed, but all adult children have jobs outside of the home.

• Consider quality of life. Assisted living facilities have programs to help keep their residents engaged and entertained. Is your loved one's quality of life suffering because they are home and alone most of the day? Making the move may actually be beneficial to them.

• Does your loved one represent a wandering risk? If your loved one tends to wander, you may need additional help to keep them safe.

• Is the home safe? Are there safety issues in the home, such as falling hazards, that you can't overcome? Safety needs to be a top priority, and sometimes elderly people cannot be cared for safely at home.

• Is your loved one having a hard time recovering from illness or surgery? Ongoing health problems are often a key indicator that you need more help to keep your loved one protected.

• Is the caretaker under stress? The health and well-being of the caregiver also needs to be considered. Caregiver stress is a very real problem, and one that can be alleviated by utilizing the help of an assisted living facility.

• Are self-care tasks being left undone? If you're noticing that your loved one isn't regularly showering, caring for their appearance, or taking care of other self-care needs, assisted living can help.

• Is there a need for more social connections? If your loved one's friends have passed away or moved to other locations, assisted living may provide a venue to make new friendships.

• Does the house need help? If your loved one can't care for the house, and you aren't able to help or hire house cleaning, you may need to consider making the move to a facility that includes house keeping services with the overall care. A clean house is essential to protecting someone's health.

• What is your gut feeling? Don't be afraid to trust your gut feeling when it comes to whether or not assisted living is needed. You know your parent or other loved one best, and when the time is right, you will know.

• Have there been any recent close calls? Whether a fall, dinner left to burn on the stove, bills that went months without being paid, or rotten food in the fridge, if your loved one has had any close calls that made you uncomfortable, it may be time for additional help.

• Are you close enough to provide consistent help? Sometimes distance between you and your loved one is the deciding factor, because you simply can't provide the help that is needed to keep your loved one safe.