How To Talk To Parents About Moving To An Assisted Living Facility

As parents age, it is heart-wrenching to see them decline physically and mentally. It is no easy to cope with this situation, but there will come a time when your parents will not be able to live on their own without help and support. While most old people prefer to live in their own homes, in familiar surroundings, it is not always possible. Children, family and friends will not always be around to help them. Hence, to avoid this situation, it is often necessary to speak to parents and convince them about moving to an assisted living facility.

You should speak to your parents about assisted living long before it becomes a necessity. Make sure that you have a mature dialogue with them without hurting their sentiments. When your parents are lucid and able to have a discussion, you can get their opinion on this subject. You can even find out what their desire is as they age and grow old.

When you are discussing estate planning with your parents, you can try broaching the topic of assisted living. It will make it much easier and your parents will not misunderstand you. Discuss the pros and cons of this type of living and see the reaction. If your parents are open to it, the same can be included into their will when they are planning their estate. This way when the time comes, you will have all the necessary documents to shift to an assisted living facility.

Try to air your concerns about them living alone without help. Usually, parents try to allay their children's fears and are more conducive to talking about these fears. This will allow them to be more open to discussing about assisted living and will not make them feel as though you are trying to wash your hands off them.

Make sure that you do not try to force your parents into deciding what you want. Instead allow them to speak out their mind too. Get their opinion about different living arrangements and try to work out one that best suits their needs as well as yours. If your parents are willing to make changes, such as installing grab bars in the bathroom, having non-skid flooring, changing the lighting to high wattage lighting and having a chair lift to help them go up and down the stairs, there may be no need for them to move to an assisted living facility immediately. They can prolong their stay at home.