When is it Time to Move a Parent to Assisted Living?

When a parent or senior family member is starting to show signs of struggling to live independently, it can be difficult to determine when to pull the trigger on moving them to a care home or Assisted Living facility. Some signs are when they can no longer cook safely for themselves or when they are missing meals, medications, or having falls and need frequent help doing basic daily tasks. This normally doesnt occur overnight, and sometimes creates a “frog in boiling water” scenario where family doesnt take action for far too long. The first step may be to simply hire an in home care giver that can help for a few hours a day with tasks like cooking and laundry and housekeeping and medications. But it becomes more economical to make the move to assisted living where we provide 24/7 care and oversight if the indivdual requires more than a few hours of assistance daily. Here are some of the top indicators your parent or loved one may be ready to make the move.

Safety

• Leaving on appliances and creating fire hazards
• not able to keep a clean and trip free, fire free environment
• becoming more and more of a fall risk

Health

• Struggling with nutrition and hydration, losing weight.
• missing medications
• not showering or practicing good hygiene
• Wearing the same clothes over and over

Housekeeping

• Dishes not getting washed?
• Home looking less tidy and more cluttered?
• Unopened mail accumulating?

Social

• No longer connected to their community and feeling isolated and depressed.

It can be difficult, but acting in your parents best interest and choosing assisted living is a decision no one will regret.