Moving Senior Parents Into Your Home
By Ewa Frydel, Owner
If you’re considering moving your senior parents into your home, you’re not alone.
Many family caregivers decide to welcome their mom or dad home versus moving them into an assisted living facility or nursing home. Other caregivers move into their parent’s home themselves, part-time or full-time, depending on the care needed.
Caregivers make great aides for these types of transitions.
Your elderly parent may need extra care, which is the main reason to live together.
If you’re not ready to hire a caregiver or receive in-home elder care services, moving them in with you makes the most sense.
However, this is a big change for you, your spouse or partner, children, and for your senior parent in need. How can you make this transition comfortable for everyone?
In this blog, we’ll explore helpful tips so you and your family can have a successful transition.
Tips for Moving Senior Parents Into Your Home
Prepare the home. Considering your parents are in need of additional support, you may need to make senior-friendly modifications to your home. This may include:
-Installing grab bars and railings.
-Ensuring proper lighting, especially in high-traffic areas.
-Creating a bedroom on the ground floor.
-Removing hazards, such as loose rugs or furniture obstructing pathways.
2. Promote independence. You may feel more peace of mind having your senior closer to you, but this new chapter can have an impact on your senior’s self-worth and dignity. Create a space that is specifically designed with their interests, furniture, pictures, or other decorations from their home. Bring over their favorite chair. They may require their own bathroom, T.V., familiar bed and even their pet. Yes, you will need to consider adopting their pet into your home, too.
3. Emotional support. Most seniors feel like they are a burden to you and your family when they suddenly move into your home. Offer them reassurance and empathy throughout the entire process. How?
-Communicate openly.
This also means not having whispering conversations in the room beside them where they might hear or perceive you are talking about them behind their back. Even if you’re not saying anything about them, you’ll need to rethink how you have your private conversations. Perception is everything and you want to give off the vibe that all conversations are inclusive.
On that note, your senior’s privacy is an exception. Their private concerns do not need to be public. You and your partner or spouse can talk in private at night or while away from the home, but your senior does not have this luxury.
You are their companion and world.
One example would be if they have incontinence issues. Another is about their financial affairs. No one needs to know about these personal matters but your senior and you, the caregiver.
-Involve your parents with family decisions.
This can be about what to have for dinner, what movie to watch, or even home renovations you’ve been wanting to do.
-Create a welcoming and personalized space that reflects their interests, but mostly, their memories.
Hang the same photos they had up at their home. If they had a candy dish, keep that out. Perhaps they loved using the same coffee or tea mug… don’t change that either. Just because you have much of what they had, doesn’t mean they prefer it. What’s close to your heart may not be close to theirs.
4. Establish routines. Everyone in your household will now have to follow a new routine. This is normal and can bring about positive growth. Routines help everyone get along, adapt to change, find certainty, comfort, and feel more relaxed. At first it can be challenging, but after time your household will have flow and ease.
Do not feel discouraged about moving your senior parents into your home.
All change feels uncomfortable at first, but this can be a rewarding experience.
Typically, most family caregivers do not regret this decision, despite the hard work and extra effort. You are also teaching your children a valuable lesson about caring for our elderly, family, and the strength you have as parents to compromise and sacrifice for the love of your mom or dad.
For more information on moving your senior parents into your home, contact us.
We’re here to help!
Legal Disclaimer
This blog provides general information and discussions about moving elderly parents into your home and is not intended and should not be construed as medical advice.
