A Child’s Duty To An Aging Parent
Although many families do not discuss it, children should inherently understand that it will be their responsibility to help ensure that their parents are not ignored, forsaken or forgotten during the latter years of their lives. After all, many elderly people reach a point where they are unable to properly care for themselves, and they should be able to rely on their adult children to help them deal with the situation.
What Steps Should I Take?
The single most important thing that you can do for your parents is find a safe and comfortable environment for them to live out their golden years. This means making sure that they are not suffering or in need of basic care and assistance. For some families, this need is met by moving an elderly parent into their adult child’s home. However, this can become problematic, especially if an elderly parent requires specialized medical assistance or is unable to complete some of their typical daily tasks without help.
Keep in mind that moving an elderly parent into your home will make you responsible for keeping them comfortable and safe, and this is definitely not as easy as it sounds. Due to this, many families decide to look into alternative options instead.
The Perks Of Assisted Living
One of the best solutions for a family that does not have the ability to take care of an aging parent in their own home is to utilize an assisted living facility. These communities provide their residents with the opportunity to remain as independent as possible, but there will also be staff members around to assist whenever necessary.
Additionally, assisted living communities typically provide nutritious meals, socialization opportunities and a wide variety of other perks that make them a much more attractive option for elderly individuals who want to have a full and enriching life. After all, there is only so much that someone can do while they are living in their adult child’s home, but moving into an assisted living facility will give them the ability to stay busy on a regular basis and make new friends.
Choosing The Right Community
It is natural for adult children to feel guilty about the idea of moving their parents into an assisted living community. However, when you consider all of the perks that are associated with these facilities, it becomes much easier to understand why so many families utilize them. However, you should still take the time to look through all of your local options so that you can determine which community is the best fit for your parents. As an added bonus, assisted living facilities are available throughout the entire country, so you should not need to move your parents
For example, if they currently live in the metropolitan Atlanta area, there are Dunwoody assisted living facilities, in the northern part of the city, as well as Decatur towards the east of the city and as far north as Alpharetta. You should be able to find a facility in areas which are familiar to your parents or more convenient to your home, making visits easy.
Ultimately, it is up to every adult child to make sure that their elderly parents are properly taken care of. In most cases, utilizing an assisted living community is one of the best options for ensuring that your parents will have a high quality of life. Your parents carried you once as a babe, it’s your turn now to carry their transition into the golden years as seamlessly as possible.
It was always understood in author Debbie Nguyen’s culture that the elderly would be taken care of by their family. Not providing care and stability for the elderly is considered shameful among family members and the community.
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/f_jean/1480774576/
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