If your parent is getting on in years, you might find yourself starting the conversation with them about moving into an assisted living community. Not only do such communities provide a greater sense of security and safety for seniors, but they also provide services like housekeeping and dining options.
That being said, making this decision with your parent may not be an easy task. It might very well be the case that they aren’t as aware as you are of your concerns about their current living situation. Moreover, there is bound to be a fair bit of emotion surrounding the topic, as moving away from the home they have lived in for some time can be a difficult thought.
With the right approach, however, you can help your parent feel comfortable and perhaps even excited about the prospect of moving into an assisted living facility. One way to do this is to help them find the right community. To help, here are just a few tips to help your elderly parent select the assisted living community that is right for them.
Start With the Big Picture Items
When you begin your search for an assisted living community, you will find many highly-rated options available for consideration. In order to narrow things down for your parent, you should start by looking into some of the big picture items that come together to make a community unique and comfortable.
When considering a senior living community and apartment home, Long Island assisted living community suggests you answer the following questions: Is the layout designed to provide a safe living environment? Do the kitchen and community provide the amenities you will need? And, what kind of technology is offered? Is there wifi to connect to the internet, for example?
The dentists in Shrewsbury MA also add that the health inclusions of the package are also worth considering. For example, some facilities include annual health checkups while some don’t. If you’re okay with shelling out more money for your health checkups, then you can choose a facility that doesn’t have medical checkups in its package. If on the other hand, you want to save as much money as you can, then you should check out those that already include annual health checkups.
Once you have found several communities that check your parent’s boxes in these areas, you can then narrow things down further based on their personal preferences.
Keep Them Involved
One of the most challenging aspects of helping your parent find the right assisted living community for them involves the emotion surrounding this change. They might be completely open to the idea and happy to consider any facility that you think would be acceptable. However, it is more likely that they are going to have at least a few apprehensions about the topic – or they might even be downright against the idea.
The best thing that you can do under such circumstances is to keep your parents involved every step of the way. By keeping them informed and involved, listening to their opinions and input, and helping them understand the positive benefits they will enjoy by moving into the right community, you can help to make the overall process much easier for them.
At the end of the day, it is their life that you are trying to improve. Because of this, it is important that you adopt a sensitive, understanding approach to your parent as you help them find the right assisted living community.
