Elder Care Solutions:

5 Reasons Your Senior Parent Should Live With You!

By Gregory Weldy

Whether Mom’s recovering from a stroke or simply can’t remember to turn off the stove, you know she can no longer live independently. So what are your options when it comes to caring for an aging parent?

There are a number of elder care solutions. One common answer is to place your family member in an assisted living or nursing facility. These can be good solutions for seniors who require high levels of skilled care. However, caring for an aging parent who needs less skilled care--occasional help with daily tasks, medication reminders, etc—a nursing community can be pricey and unnecessary.

Members of the sandwich generation, or those who care for both aging parents and their own kids, are turning to a more family-oriented care option: moving mom or dad into their own home.

Check out these 5 reasons why caring for an aging parent in your home is a happy elder care solution.

Safety – The elderly, especially those who are frail, are vulnerable to dangers, from falls to criminal activity. Protection from these dangers makes moving mom and dad into your home not only one of the smarter elder care solutions, it also gives you a peace of mind you might not get when your parent lives alone.
Health Care – Is Dad eating? Is Mom’s forgetfulness getting worse? If your loved ones lives independently or resides in a nursing home, it can be hard to monitor their mental and physical health. Caring for an aging parent in your home allows you and other family members to keep a closer watch on Mom or Dad’s condition. When you move mom into your home, you’ll get the peace of mind that comes from seeing firsthand how your parent is doing.
Family – Okay, caring for an aging parent in your home isn’t always going to be warm and fuzzy, but the fact is that living together can be fulfilling for you, your parents, and especially for your children. When your parent shares a home with younger generations it might even boost his or her thinking power. Experts say that when a senior tells a detailed story—such as reliving the time they walked four miles through the snow to get to school—it can strengthen pathways in the brain, which could help keep dementia and other cognitive problems at bay.
Outside help – Even if you plan to share your home with an aging family member, your elder care solutions may include hiring outside help. For example, you might hire a reputable care provider, sometimes called respite care, to sit with Grandpa for a few hours while the family enjoys a hike. In-home caregivers are much easier to monitor than a caregiver at a nursing facility, and allow you freedom from 24/7 care. In-home caregivers also provide the peace of mind that comes from being able to monitor how others care for your loved one.
Financial – With the average stay at a nursing facility costing more than $70,000 each year, caring for an aging parent in your home will make your family bank account happier—especially in an economy marked by high unemployment and lack of job security. The money you save now can be used to ensure that funds are available if your family member ever needs fulltime skilled medical care.

Caring for an aging parent is tough when your loved one is in nursing care or living independently. However, elder care solutions that include sharing your home with mom or dad can offer a peace of mind that makes you and your loved one happier.

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Gregory Weldy is an expert on guiding families through the challenges of caring for an aging parent. He has written an amazing Free report, "Prevent nursing home nightmares: Caring for aging parents." To claim you FREE copy, visit: http://www.BestElderCareAtHome.com

Copyright © Greg Weldy All Rights Reserved
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