There can be many benefits to your aging parent moving in with you and your family. As a family caregiver, having your senior living with you gives you the opportunity to give them more direct care, ensure they are safe and comfortable, and also encourage closer bonds among the different generations of your family. Having your parent live with you can also be a wise financial choice, and reduce the need for travel and other expenses if you live at a distance. While there are many benefits to having your senior live with you, this can be a tremendous change, so it’s extremely important to talk to your family about this, so that all of you feel prepared for this new chapter.
Use these tips to help you talk to your family about your parent living with you:
- Be clear and open with your family about what went into the choice to have your parents move in with you. Be respectful of your parents privacy, but also be willing to share with the other members of your family why it would be useful for your senior to live with you.
- Don’t expect everyone in your family to be immediately enthusiastic about your senior moving in. It’s possible that your partner and children will be excited, but there’s also a chance that members of your family will feel nervous, displaced, and even bitter about the change. Give them the chance to think through the situation and work on their emotions. Patience and support will make this transition more comfortable for everyone.
- Be willing to listen to any concerns your family might have, and address them as promptly and effectively as you can. For example, if your children are worried about privacy, offer to add a lock to their bedroom door.
- Go through any changes that will need to be made to the house, or to the way your family uses the house so everyone is prepared. For example, if a room that was previously a guest room, office, craft room, or storage space will be converted into your parents bedroom, make sure everyone knows about this change, and that that space is no longer accessible by the rest of the family.
- Reassure your family that you will keep your relationships and lifestyle as close to the same as possible. Your children might worry they are going to lose their time with you, or that you’ll no longer follow your own family traditions such as eating certain meals on specific nights of the week. Make an effort to keep these traditions to preserve a sense of stability and importance for every member of your family.
- If you intend on having elderly care in the home for your senior, which can be exceptionally beneficial both for your parent and for you, talk to your family about what this care provider does, what they don’t do, when they’ll be in the home, and other details.
If your aging parent has developed new challenges and symptoms, your own personal limitations have made it so you are no longer able to meet their needs, or you simply feel they would benefit from more diverse care, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting elderly care for them. With elderly care, professional care providers can step in to fill care gaps, support an independent and fulfilling lifestyle, and help your senior stay as safe and healthy as possible throughout their later years. As their family caregiver, knowing your aging parent has an elderly home care services provider in the home with them can give you a tremendous sense of peace of mind, and confidence. With this type of care, you know your parent is in good hands both when you are with them, and when you are not.
If you or an aging loved one needs elderly care in Folsom, CA, remember Senior Home Care Services. Call us at (916) 514-7006 for more information.
- Five Tips to Help Your Loved One with Her Medication - November 20, 2024
- Four Key Steps to Better Self-Care for Your Aging Loved One - November 13, 2024
- Know the Symptoms of Pneumonia - November 7, 2024
