Many seniors face the stressful decision to either move into assisted living or stay at home. It’s a tough decision, but there is an alternative solution: moving parents into your own home. This article will cover five tips for making the transition of moving elderly parents out of their home as easy and successful as possible.
The Benefits of Home Care for Elderly Parents
Moving parents into your home solves many problems. The main benefit is that it’s a cost-effective solution for the family and can be less expensive than assisted living or nursing homes. It also provides immediate care to an elderly parent who needs help with day-to-day tasks like bathing and cooking.
The other significant benefit of providing home care is that you can keep your loved one close. In the event of further COVID-related restrictions, you don’t have to worry about your loved one being “trapped” inside a nursing home.
Tips to Make an Easy Transition Into the Home
It would be best to make several minor adjustments when moving elderly parents out of their home in order to make the transition into your home easy and successful.
Talk it over with your family
The first step is talking to all family members to get a consensus.
By opening an honest discussion with your elderly loved one, partner, children, other household members, or siblings, you can address some of the most critical questions and concerns they have about the new living arrangement.
Ideally, everyone should be on board and willing to work together to provide a safe, supportive, and loving environment for your family members.
In some cases, your parent or elderly loved one could be reluctant or frightened to move away from their home, so understanding their feelings is essential to help make a move easier for them.
Prepare your home for the move
You may need to make renovations or upgrades to your home to handle the needs of an older resident. If your beloved has mobility issues, you may need to make some modifications to accommodate your loved one better.
Depending on the situation, this might include widening doorways, so there’s enough clearance for wheelchairs or walkers, adding grab bars or stabilizers to the bathroom, and other types of home improvement projects that make it easier for your loved ones to live with dignity.
Give them their space
In addition to making your home more age-friendly, you also want to make sure that their new surroundings are welcoming.
Wherever possible, find ways to make them feel comfortable. Ensure their bed is clean and comfortable, adjust the light or air conditioning to suit them and provide a place for them in every room of the house. By doing so, they know they’re welcome while retaining their privacy and independence.
Establish a daily routine or schedule
When they first arrive, you’re likely to have a transition period where everyone adjusts to the new ebbs and flows of daily life.
You may have to change how often or what food they eat and adapt to their sleeping patterns. Establishing a regular schedule is recommended so your older parent or loved one can settle into new routines.
Patterns are reassuring and comforting, so establishing a schedule can help provide a framework for the day. Set routines can help older people remember. For instance, breakfast and coffee get served at 8 AM every day. Lunch gets served at noon, and dinnertime is at 5 PM. By setting these times, no one forgets what time to eat, and just like that, the day has a framework.
How to Help Seniors Adjust Once They Move Into Your Home
While you might think that your life is getting turned upside down by caring for your elderly parent, your parent probably believes the same thing. If he or she has managed to stay in the family home for decades, the move could be traumatic and scary.
Remember, your elderly parent may feel more comfortable if he or she has access to familiar objects in their living space. The more aware and at home they feel in their new living space, the better.
If your parent has dementia or other forms of degenerative diseases, they might not even understand what’s happening to them, which makes a move even more distressing.
Keep their bodies and mind busy
Being a caregiver for your elderly parent gives you a unique opportunity to get to know your mother or father better. Please use this time together to get to know them better.
Engage them in conversation and listen to what they have to say. One day, and as much as no one wants to think about it, they’ll be gone.
Ask them about their experiences and stories from their youth. Play cards. Laugh. Enjoy each other’s company.
If they have hobbies, encourage them to pursue them. For instance, if they still love to cook, spend an afternoon baking cookies. It’s these types of activities that help to enrich their life.
These are moments you never have the chance to get back.
Don’t be ashamed to ask for help
With more elderly adults choosing to age in place and more children choosing to support their decision and provide care in-home, it’s comforting to know more resources are available than ever before to find the help you need.
Whether you need occasional assistance with caregiver responsibilities or need in-home skilled nursing or respite care, you can find what you need to provide the highest level of care.
If your parents’ home or property is under your care, other areas where a helpful hand might come in handy include completing chores, making repairs, and handling their affairs. Get help while moving elderly parents out of their home and into their new environment. You may not be able to do it all alone!
Take care of yourself too
As a family caregiver, it’s essential to take care of yourself, so you can continue providing your loved one with high-quality care.
Ensure you get plenty of rest, exercise regularly, eat well and enjoy time doing things that make you happy to maintain your health.
And, when you’re happier and healthier, your loved one will be too.
Enjoy the new living arrangement
Once your loved one is all moved in and settled, take a moment to enjoy having your senior parents being in the same household as you. Schedule some time to spend with them as a family and include them on family game nights or movie nights.
Having your senior parents nearby has many added benefits for both you and them. Enjoy your new arrangement.
About RetireEase Senior Care
As the premier senior caregiver service in Columbia, SC, our caregivers are passionate about integrated care. We understand the importance of caring not just for people’s physical needs but for their mental and social needs as well.
We love helping older people continue to live full, active lives. You can learn more about our services here.
If you’re looking for high-quality, personalized senior home care in the greater Columbia, SC area, we’d love to talk. You can contact us here.
