Assisted Living Mobile AL
There are times when you know what is right, what is best, but another person may not see it the same way. You might be at that stage with a discussion about assisted living, either with your spouse, sibling, aging parent, grandparent, neighbor, or somebody else you care about.
If it’s an aging parent, there is a dynamic to your relationship that is difficult to change. For most of your life they were the mom or dad. They were the disciplinarians. They were the ones to encourage you, discourage you from bad things, and be there ready to support you when you fell.
Family Caregivers
Now, that relationship dynamic has completely changed. You’re the one who’s taking care of them. You are trying to offer encouragement, keep them from getting hurt, and disciplining when necessary. You don’t want that role. You never wanted to become their primary caregiver, but they won’t listen about elder care options. You have looked into assisted living and know this would be ideal for them, but when it comes to topics of elder care, they always seem to change the subject.
How can you change this? How can you alter their perspective? Let’s give you a few ideas that might help you offer some encouragement to get them to at least look at it more closely.
Mention Respite Care, If Available
Before talking about respite care, find out from a local assisted living community if they have those options. This basically means short-term stays. It could be overnights, a few days a week, for a week or two at a time.
Respite care can show, without question, exactly what the community is like to live there. But it doesn’t demand any type of long-term commitment. Your elderly mother or father can try it out, get to know some of the residents already there, see some of the activities, and make a more informed decision about it for their future.
Talk About Activities They May No Longer Do
Maybe your elderly mother stopped gardening because she didn’t have help and simply couldn’t manage that physical job herself. Maybe your father doesn’t get together with friends for poker night or to play golf or do some other activity.
Perhaps a local assisted living community can offer those options still. Depending on physical abilities, safety, and other factors, your aging parent might very well be able to participate in a wide range of activities they never even thought about…yet.
Talk About Community
People want to connect with others, especially those with whom they have common interests, experiences, and ideas. It’s difficult to do that when you live alone. When you don’t drive or no longer are able to get around on your own, then what kind of community is available to you?
Talk about the options that seniors have when they choose assisted living for their future. They get to meet others, perhaps connect with friends they lost touch with long ago, and discover that quality of life is still possible, even at their age, even with their failing health or limited mobility or other physical challenges, as long as they are in the right living environment.
About Cindy Johnson
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