When does your parent want to move from his or her home? Nationally, more than 90% of seniors say, “Never.” Yet that ideal doesn’t always work out. So how do you begin a conversation about housing and care, knowing there’s a possibility your parent might need to move? Sometimes framing the subject of moving in terms of options allows your parent to think of it in a different light.
Many things: health, home upkeep, finances, loneliness can affect the timing of a senior’s move. Here are some scenarios to run by your parent. Possibilities, if you will.
1. Some people stay put and hire in-home care.
2. Some seniors move soon while they’re in good health and can enjoy the amenities, knowing health care is available later if and when they need it.
3. Some people who care for their spouse find relief by moving to a retirement community. They receive help with domestic duties such as cooking and cleaning, and the staff can help their spouse with personal needs such as bathing and dressing. The caregiver-spouse drops the title of caregiver, and is free to be the spouse.
4. Others move when the cost of in-home care exceeds the cost of assisted living. In-home care runs about $25 an hour or more in many parts of the country. Often six to eight hours of care a day will cost as much or more as assisted living.
5. Still others move following a medical emergency such as a hospitalization, or because a physician says 24-hour care is needed.
6. Others may not have to move at all!
There’s no magical time, but circumstances and key people in your parent’s life will help him or her determine when the time is right.
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