Your parents do everything for you growing up but once they start to get older, it’s time for you to start looking after them. It’s always difficult when you realize that your parents are struggling to get by on their own and you’ve got some hard decisions to make. Sometimes you just have to accept that looking for a lakeside assisted living location for them to move into will be best for everyone. The most important thing to consider is whether they can stay living on their own at home or if they need people around them all the time.
If you decide that they can’t manage alone you need to decide whether you will put them in a residential home or move them in with you. Moving them into your house with the rest of the family is going to change things and you need to make sure that you’re prepared.
Here are the most important things to consider when looking after an aging parent.
Make The Home Safe
If your parents are unwell or frail, they’ll be a lot more susceptible to the hidden dangers around your home. Things like trip hazards are important to look out for, especially if you’ve got young kids in the house that are likely to leave toys and things lying around. You also need to be aware of things like mold and poor air quality that could cause breathing problems. When it comes to keeping the house clean, you need to be a lot more thorough because any germs and bacteria can easily make your elderly relatives sick. You might also want to get your parents a mobile phone for elderly which they can use to keep in touch with you if you go to work.
Get Some Help
Even if you’re bringing your parents to live with you, that doesn’t mean you won’t need any outside help. If somebody is going to be at home all of the time then you might be able to get away with not hiring help. But it’s likely that everybody will be out at work during the day and even if you aren’t, you’ll need professional help with administering medicine etc. If your parents are going to live at home, consider Senior Checks & Balances for them. This means they won’t miss any important bills or payments.
You can get some great in-house help from companies like Seniors for Seniors; the major benefit of their service is that the carers are usually seniors themselves which is often more comfortable for your relatives.
Plan Your Finances
Taking another person into your home is going to put a lot of financial strain on the household. You’ll have to pay for all of the extra food and energy costs etc. as well as the cost of carers if you think that you’ll need them. If your income isn’t enough to cover it, you’ll have to think about how you’re going to afford it all.
Before you move them into your house, you need to have a frank conversation with them about the money and ask them whether they can contribute to the cost of their care. It’s always a bit of an awkward conversation to have but you’ll need to do it at some point. It’s best to do it early on while your parents are still healthy, otherwise, they may be confused about the situation if you wait until further down the line.
Moving your aging parents into your house to look after them is a big decision to make and you have to make sure that you’ve made these preparations beforehand.
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