Telling family members that parents need assisted living can be daunting. Most people associate moving into an assisted living community with dumping a parent in a nursing home. Nothing could be further from the truth. Aging parents who need caregivers would be much more comfortable in a senior living community. This also relieves the caregiver, especially if they are part of the family. Providing caregiving services to aging parents at home can be time-consuming and challenging and, in some cases, can bring out resentment. To convince family members that aging parents need assisted living, some of the things you can try including:
Frame The Message Correctly
How you frame your message determines how other family members react. If you provide accurate information, including what assisted living is (for those who may need help understanding), then the chances of them accepting the decision will be higher. Whatever you do, don’t frame the message in such a manner that it will be misinterpreted as you dumping your aging parents in a facility where they will not be cared for.
Discuss Other Options with Family Members
Discussing care options for aging parents makes them feel included in the process. Coming up with the decision to move your parents into an assisted living community will seem one-sided and will increase the chances of resistance. You should instead discuss the problem with them and try to come up with solutions, including senior assisted living. You can use the opportunity to tell them about senior assisted living and how your parents can benefit from it. This will sway most of your family members towards signing up your parents for senior assisted living.
Visit A Senior Assisted Living Community with Family Members
Show other family members what an assisted living community feels like and the services available therein. Going on a tour with them to a community you have chosen will give them a feel for this option. It also allows them to learn more about the senior living community. They can ask the administration team members about how their family members will be taken care of and what extra services they will get. When you choose an established senior assisted living community, most family members will be happy about moving aging parents into the community.
Send Them Information Pamphlets
Another way to convince family members that senior living communities are okay is by sending them information pamphlets about the neighborhoods. You can also send them links to the communities’ websites, so they can go through them and understand the nature of senior assisted living. This goes a long way to eliminating negative misconceptions surrounding nursing homes, which many associate with assisted living communities.
With the above strategies, you can easily convince family members of the benefits of assisted senior living. It can even encourage some of them to help you look for an ideal assisted living community and help your parents move in.
