Are you worried about the safety of a dear family member who lives alone? Perhaps, your elderly mother has started falling frequently. Or, your older father might sometimes forget to take his medicine. If you can relate to either one of these worrisome situations, consider moving your senior relative into a nursing home. If your loved one doesn’t need round-the-clock care, you might wish to put him or her in an assisted living facility. Staying at this type of facility can provide a family member with a sense of independence. On this blog, I hope you will discover valuable tips to help you move an aging loved one into a nursing home or assisted living facility. Enjoy!
Debbie Rodriguez
Caring for anyone with a memory-related illness or disease can be difficult, and it is crucial that you understand the level of commitment that it will take. Taking on the care of a loved one at home is a full-time job by itself. There are options for other care as well, so consider the choices before you decide the best option for your loved one.
Home Care
In the early stages of Alzheimer's or dementia, keeping your parent or loved one at home where things are familiar can make things much easier for them. Following the routine as normal as possible is one way to help them adjust, and when they do forget things, you can gently remind them of where they are or what the situation is. Keeping the home safe for them to move through is essential, so clear obstacles and remove items from the house that could hurt them.
Secure things like medications in a locked cabinet or drawer so that there is no chance of your loved one taking meds that they don't need because they are confused. The idea is to make the home as comfortable for them as you can but as safe as you can at the same time.
Taking a Break
Caring for someone full-time is an enormous strain, and there will be times when you need to take some time off. Home health services offer many services that can help including companion services to stay with your loved one, allowing you to take a few hours for a trip out. Sometimes a date night with the significant other or the afternoon at a matinee is enough to let you decompress and refresh.
The alternative is an adult daycare service where you can take your parent or loved one. This might only be an option in the early stages of Alzheimer's because it may be too scary or stress-inducing as the disease progresses.
Residential Care
If the Alzheimer's or dementia is in advanced stages, you may no longer be able to care for your parent at home. Consider placing them in a residential facility where they specialize in working with these patients. While this can be a hard decision to make, you may need to do it to make sure they are getting the best care possible, and at most facilities, you can visit often if you want. Your visits can be beneficial to your parent or loved one but check with the facility to see if there are times when they are working with your parent and visits are going to disrupt that schedule.
For more information, reach out to assisted living facilities like Wellspring Meadows Assisted Living.