How To Know When Your Loved One Should Enter An Assisted Living Facility

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If you are caring for a parent or aging loved one, it can be difficult to know when they need care beyond what you can provide. Many people want to care for their loved ones themselves without having to remove them from their homes. However, for the health and safety of your loved one it may be necessary to place them in a living situation where they can receive more care than you can offer. Assisted living facilities are a good option for seniors that need care to be available to them, but do not need the 24-hour medical care that they would receive in a nursing home. But how will you know when your loved one needs such care? Here are some good indicators that your parent or aging loved one may benefit from moving to an assisted-living facility.

• They Need Help With One Or More Activities of Daily Living: Activities of daily living are things like bathing, grooming, eating, and dressing. If your loved one is unable to do one or more of these things on his or her own, he or she may benefit from assisted living where assistance is available to them.
• Home Safety Issues: If your loved one is at home alone, are they safe? Or do you and other family members have to worry? If your loved one is not safe in his or her own home anymore, assisted living may be the solution for them.
• Wandering: Six in ten people with dementia will wander, and this can be stressful and scary for family members. If your loved one has dementia and wanders, they could get lost or injured. The Alzheimer's Association has many helpful ideas to prevent or deal with wandering. A wandering senior may be safer in an assisted living facility where their coming and going may be monitored.
• Aggression: Sometimes aging seniors, especially those with dementia, can get very agitated and even aggressive with their caregivers. This can be dangerous for the caregiver and the senior, and is often very upsetting. If your loved one is aggressive, they may be safer and happier in an assisted living facility where they will be surrounded by professionals.
• Stress on the Caregiver: Caring for a loved one can be very stressful, even when the responsibility is shared by multiple people. If you are caring for a loved one, don't be afraid to consider your own stress as a factor in deciding whether or not they need more care.

If caring for your loved one has become very difficult because of any of the reasons listed above, you are not alone and you do have alternatives. Finding them the care that they need from a  facility like Harbor View Home can be better for you, and more importantly can increase their quality of life.

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20 January 2015