The Pros & Cons to Moving your Parents Into your Home

 

As our parents age, the decision of how to best care for them becomes an inevitable and challenging task. While there are advantages to moving your senior parents into your home to care for them, the journey that lies ahead won’t be easy. Our senior caregivers at Lester Senior Living will discuss the pros and cons of welcoming seniors into your home versus exploring the benefits of moving them to a community. By thoroughly examining both options, we hope to provide valuable insights that will help families make the most informed choice for their elderly loved ones.

The Advantages of In-Home Senior Care

Undoubtedly, there are compelling reasons why families might consider bringing their senior parents into their own homes:

Personalized Care. When seniors live at home, they can receive one-on-one attention and care tailored to their unique needs, fostering a more intimate and personal caregiving experience.

Familiar Environment. Staying in a familiar setting can offer seniors a sense of comfort, stability, and continuity in their daily routines – which could potentially reduce stress and anxiety on a day-to-day basis. 

Strengthened Family Bonds. Living together can create stronger bonds between family members, providing an opportunity for younger generations to spend quality time with their grandparents.

Cost Considerations. In some cases, in-home care might be more cost-effective than moving to a senior living community, especially if your loved one is pretty mobile and family members can split up caregiving responsibilities.

The Challenges of In-Home Senior Care

While the benefits seem primarily positive, it’s important to recognize and weigh the potential challenges associated with in-home care as well. 

Physical and Emotional Strain. Providing care at home can be physically and emotionally demanding, often taking a toll on the well-being of family caregivers. If caregivers don’t have time designated to themselves each week to recharge, in-home care can lead to caregiver burnout more easily since everyone is in a shared space. 

Limited Professional Support. Family members might lack the specialized training and resources required to address complex medical needs, putting their loved one’s health and safety at risk.

Social Isolation. Seniors living at home may experience feelings of isolation and loneliness, especially if they are unable to maintain an active social life with peers their own age. 

Home Modifications and Safety Concerns. Ensuring a safe and accessible environment for seniors at home might require costly modifications and adaptations to accommodate their changing needs. One example is installing safety grab bars throughout the home.

The Benefits of Senior Living Communities

Senior living communities present an alternative solutions that can greatly benefit both seniors and their families:

Professional Support. All throughout the day, professional care and medical assistance is provided to seniors by trained staff. Having care available at the drop of a hat ensures your loved one’s needs are met adequately and almost immediately if there’s an emergency medical situation. 

Social Activities. Living in a community setting means your loved one’s friends will be right outside their door! An active senior community also provides older adults with opportunities to participate in many different activities with residents their own age. By attending weekly activity classes, your loved one is sure to build new friendships with people who enjoy the same pastimes. 

Enhanced Safety and Accessibility. Senior living communities are designed with their safety and accessibility in mind, minimizing the risk of accidents and providing easy access to amenities. At Lester Senior Living for example, there are grab bars, ramps and emergency call buttons installed throughout the building. 

Relief for Family Caregivers. By entrusting your mom or dad to a senior living community, you can have a break from your caregiving responsibilities, allowing you to focus on more self-care. Having the time to work on yourself will put you in a better state of mind. Which in turn, will help strengthen your relationship with your senior parent if it has become strained due to caregiver burnout. 

Active Senior Living in Morris County

While the decision to move senior parents into the family home can be driven by love and a desire to keep them in familiar territory, it’s important to be realistic about challenges that may arise. Especially, if their care needs change. Mom may be pretty independent and mobile now, but what happens if she has to use a walker down the road? Is your home easy for a senior to navigate or do you need to make modifications to ensure her safety at all times? Senior living communities, like ours in Morris County,  can offer a well-rounded solution that provides professional care, social engagement, and around-the-clock safety, providing peace of mind to both seniors and their families. While new residents are usually hesitant to move in, we find that over a small period of time – they truly make a life for themselves here in our community with new friends, new activities and a whole new outlook on their lifestyle. 

To learn more about what our active senior living community in Morris County is really like, please give us a call today or visit our website at: https://jchcorp.org/

 

Original Source : https://jchcorp.org/the-pros-cons-to-moving-your-parents-into-your-home/