Aging at Home: An Alternative to Living with Your Elderly Parents

Taking the next steps

As our parents age, questions always seem to arise concerning the next best steps for their living and long-term care arrangements. Often, the death of a spouse or a change in marital status may leave adult kids stepping in to help their parents make these types of decisions. Your deep love and respect for your loved one may lead you to consider having them come and live with you in your own home. If you’re considering these long-term care arrangements for your parent, you’re not alone. Such an act is noble and a common custom in many cultures. You want the best possible care solutions available and you’re your loved ones to be taken care of mind, body and soul. Why have them transition to a long-term care facility if they don’t need around-the-clock care? Aging at home could be a solution to consider after all.

Considering options

If you’re looking at all of your options and considering the best place for your elderly parent, or parents, to live, take a moment to consider the following:

• What is the best role you can play in your parent’s life? Do you have the time, skills, and resources necessary to provide the type of care your parent needs?
• What type of care does your parent truly need? Unless your elderly parent requires around the clock care due to physical or mental health concerns, they may benefit from a more independent lifestyle. If your parent requires specific medical care, they may need professional medical care from nurses or aides on a regular basis. Is this something that you can handle?
• What is your parent’s financial status? Can they afford to remain at home? If their home is fully paid for and they have the resources to live comfortably, they may not need to even leave their home. Nursing homes and assisted living communities can be extremely costly and may not be the most economical option for your parent.
• What are your parent’s desires for their long-term care? Do they want to remain in their home as long as possible? Do they crave attention and social interaction? Or, are they fearful about being alone in their home?
• Are you ready for the changes that come with being primary caregiver to your parent? Having a parent come and live in your home is not easy. Your schedule and routines will be altered. Your privacy (and theirs) will change. The stresses of caring for your parent when they’ve spent their lives caring for others, will take a toll on you. Such a transition may not be easy for either one of you.
• Do you feel that your parent-child relationship can handle the changes that lie ahead?

If you and your aging parent are considering whether they should spend their next stage of life living with you, moving to a senior living community or even into a long-term residential facility, there may be another option to consider. Aging in place is a viable option that seniors from around the world are benefiting from every day. If your parent is relatively healthy enough to live independently, is financially stable enough to live on their own, and is hesitant about moving in with you, consider adapting your parent’s own home to allow them to continue living there. The advantages of aging in place could be the perfect solution to everyone’s needs.

Six Benefits to Aging at Home for Seniors

1. Increased Independence:Remember that your loved one has spent a lifetime filled with caring for others, working hard, and experiencing life’s ups and downs. Suddenly having to be taken care of by others is not a natural feeling for someone who has been the help and support for others for years and years. A feeling of independence will help your parent’s mental health, sense of purpose and personal accountability over their own lives.
2. Honor your parent’s sense of dignity: Parents are supposed to be the ones taking care of their children; tending to their injuries and illnesses, feeding them when necessary and guiding them with sage words of wisdom. Parents will always see their adult kids through the lens of childhood. Switching roles can be mentally devastating for some seniors. And as an adult child, it can be difficult to set the appropriate parent-child boundaries and stick to them during challenging times.
3. Minimal changes mean less stress: Relocating to a new residence, new rules and guidelines, and changes in daily routines can be stressful and devastating for some elderly individuals. What may seem like a non-issue to one person may be a trigger of emotions for an aging parent. Too much stress can be tied to medical conditions like heart and blood pressure concerns. Reducing stress for your aging parent is always a good thing.
4. Improved recovery time from illness and injury: Recovery from illness or injury can often take longer and be more difficult of a process. However, for many seniors, it seems that being able to recover in their own homes, with familiar comforts and dependable routines, can aid in their healing experience.
5. Psychological benefits of Aging at Home: Mental health issues are common among aging seniors. Medical science has shown a direct correlation between mental health and physical health. While there may be some elements that would make staying at home difficult for seniors, with the right aesthetic changes, physical adaptations, and support from family and friends, your parent can feel comfortable, confident, and secure knowing that they have some control over their own lives in their own home.
6. Home Care When Needed, Independence When Wanted: Your elderly parent may need assistance with some daily tasks, such as housework or grocery shopping, but still be perfectly capable of living independently at home. That’s the beauty of allowing your parent to age at home. You can both mutually agree to what their capabilities and limitations may be and bring in ONLY the help that is truly needed. Easing into personal and medical care changes slowly is a simple way to helping your parent adjust to the changes that come with getting older.
7. When you’re faced with the potential reality of moving your aging parent, there are many questions and feelings to consider. The transition is never an easy one for anybody, and all you want is to make the decision as smooth and stress-free as possible for your loved one.

At Canadian Safe Step Tubs, we want to help you make the decision a little easier. Our easy-to-install, walk-in tubs help seniors remain in their own homes longer by making bathing as safe and easy as possible. Your loved one can remain independent and self-sufficient as long as possible with a simple bathroom update. Contact one of our representatives today to learn how.