It can be tremendously difficult to initiate talking about assisted living with your loved ones. Yet it may be amongst the most pertinent conversations you have, especially if your family member is in danger of physical harm staying independently by themselves. Whilst assisted living may ease your worries, it may be terrifying for your loved ones to contemplate the adjustment. At the end of the day, what’s most important is to make sure that everyone has a say so that the final decision is mutual. In this article, we’ve compiled some steps which may help you better consider how to talk to elderly parents about assisted living.
Justify Your Decision
Deliberate on why independent living may be required. This process of reflection will help justify your decision and address any concerns that the whole family may have. Some things to consider are whether your family members have:
- Difficulty carrying out basic chores by themselves
- Difficulty taking the correct medication in proper doses
- Memory issues that may affect daily life
- An increase in medical requirements and needs
- Fears regarding accidents at home
Once you’re done listing out these options, reflect on your loved one’s abilities to deal with these problems. If they may have difficulty managing on their own or even with your family’s help, this may be a sign you should consider talking to your parents about assisted living.
Conduct Your Research
Have a look at the available assisted living communities in your area. You should also consider challenging some misconceptions you may have against the concept of “nursing homes”. Today, communities like Caruth Haven Court By Discovery Senior Living are vastly different from those in the past. For instance, we have:
- Fun and Exciting Activities
At Caruth Haven Court we run a wide range of activities. We also have excellent amenities and high-quality meals at Sensations Dining. Your loved one will be able to enjoy all the funs of life without needing to sacrifice his or her self-sufficiency.
- Opportunities to Form New Connections
Thanks to our activities calendar chockful of programs at the Grande Clubhouse, there are plenty of opportunities for your family members to develop new and meaningful connections within our community.
- Opportunities for New Experiences
Thanks to our lifestyle programs there is no reason to stop living life to the fullest. Your family members will be able to make full use of our services such as our Expressions Concierge that can schedule dining reservations or Connections Transportation that can assist them with transportation.
Approach and Re-Visit the Subject
The most important thing you can do is listen to the concerns of your family members. No one is probably going to be totally satisfied from the initial talk, but that’s okay. Pay attention to one another to understand each other’s viewpoints. After that, consider how you can work through things together. This conversation may need to be re-visited again and again but that’s okay! What matters the most is that when you do make the final decision, this is a shared decision that considers the views of everyone involved.
