The decision to put a family member in an assisted living community is never an easy one to make. For many families, they feel like they are failing their family member, giving up on them because they just can’t take care of them. Other families may feel like the decision comes with costs that they can’t meet. Whatever the case may be for your family, it’s a hard talk to have.
However, sometimes it is a necessity. Taking care of an aging family member is not a simple thing for anyone. There are a lot of costs and needs that they may have that you may not be able to provide for appropriately. There are also a lot of other considerations that you may not be able to provide. Some elderly family members need a lot of care, and cannot be alone for too long, or may even need to have around-the-clock care.
How To Discuss Senior Care
When you have this discussion with your family, you need to keep in mind that you have to do the best you can for your elderly loved one. If your family is having trouble finding the time to take care of the aging family member, or if you’re not capable of providing them the care that they need, you should point this out. It may sound like admitting a failure, but time is not infinite for a family.
Some families leave their older children to care for the aging relatives, those in their teens. But if your aging relative needs a lot of care and attention, then you’re not being fair to your children in making them take care of another person constantly; you’re depriving them of a childhood, and may even be depriving them of the opportunity to get a quality education.
If your family is not capable of providing the care that your aging loved one needs, this also deserves mentioning. If your aging relative has certain diseases, like Alzheimer’s, then it may be hard for your family to provide them with the care that they need without angering them or causing the loved one to withdraw or feel anxious.
It all comes down to what is best for everyone in the family. That includes you, your possible spouse, any children, and the elderly loved one. If you’re not capable of providing this elderly loved one with the care that they need, and if you’re not capable of providing them with stability and comfort, then you’re doing everyone a disservice.
When you go to look into senior care facilities, be sure that you bring the family along. It’ll help to put everyone’s mind at ease if they can all see where their elderly loved ones will be staying.