It's not a surprise that most seniors prefer to remain in their homes as long as they can. Moving into a nursing home can make them depressed as they view nursing homes as a place to wait for death. One of their biggest fears is the loss of independence. Living in their own home can be therapeutic for them as they are in familiar surroundings.
In some cases, home care is a great option for the elderly. Being in familiar territory will give them peace of mind. Being placed in a nursing home can mean having fewer choices such as when and what to eat and when to wake up. Also, nursing homes can be really expensive as opposed to home care.
There are many options available to the elderly in terms of their care. They can be provided with homecare whether by a family member or by a paid caregiver. Either way, there will be a cost associated. For instance, a family member providing care may have to deal with lost wages by staying home while hiring someone outside will also come at a cost. These are just some issues involved with having elderly parents. Other issues will force you to discover what is best for them. Whatever decisions are made depends on their needs and wishes. Let's look at some of these areas worth discussing with them.
1. What are your parent's thoughts about being independent? Find out what's most important to them at this point in their lives. Is being close to family and friends an important thing to them? Another thing to think about is if they have health issues which may affect where they live.
2. As your parents get older, things such as living wills and power of attorney become even more important. Decisions like these should be made as early as possible and should involve persons they trust.
3. Aging parents should ensure that all their affairs are in order and understood by the family.
4. What is the state of their health? Should they have a living will or other directives for health care? If they do, what are they? And if they don't, should they?
These are some relevant issues to visit and start talking about with your parents. Keep in mind however, these tips to ensure that whatever dialogue is had, is productive.
Do not waste time as the sooner you start discussing these issues, the more time you have to react. Being reactive as opposed to proactive in a sticky situation is not a good way to deal with aging issues. Also, be sensitive as having to discuss issues such as these can be stressful for them. It's not a very happy time to be discussing their mortality.
Never try to overwhelm them by bombarding them with a bunch of questions at once. Address these issues over time. In addition, if you have outstanding issues with your aging parents, don't attempt to drudge up the past. This is not an appropriate time for reprisal.
Discussing these important family issues before a situation occurs is an essential step in making the preparations for providing adequate care for elderly parents.
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