Deciding the best living situation for your elderly parents can be daunting. While keeping them at home might seem like the more comfortable option, it can add stress to the family and even become unsafe.
The future can’t be predicted. The best thing you can do is be well informed before making your decision. Weigh out the pros and cons of your elderly parents living at home. While considering the factors, it’s essential that you also discuss your options with your elderly parents and other family members. Continue reading for guidance with your decision and learn about some pros and cons of elderly parents living independently.
Pros
There are plenty of benefits of keeping your elderly loved ones at home. These benefits include more regular family time, familiar surroundings, and easing the financial burden of care.
Regular Family Time
While you’ll be able to spend time with your loved ones while they’re living on their own or in a community, it’ll be much easier to have regular family time if your loved one lives at home. Seniors living at home usually have more flexible schedules, and you don’t have to worry about community visiting hours. Regular family time has many benefits, an essential factor to consider.
Familiar Surroundings
Allowing your loved ones to stay in familiar surroundings can help them feel like they have some control while also providing stability. This can be particularly helpful for seniors who have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
Easing the Financial Burden
While community living has its benefits, it’s also usually rather expensive. Helping a loved one remain in their own home can allow them to spend their money on other things, such as health care, home improvements, hobbies, and retirement activities.
Cons
While there are benefits to keeping your elderly loved ones at home, this decision can come at a cost. The following are some cons of keeping your elderly loved ones at home.
Responsibility and Stress
Most older adults will eventually need assistance with grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking, paying bills, and other daily tasks. When seniors live independently, these responsibilities often end up falling on a family member, which causes stress for all parties involved.
Lack of Adequate Care
When older adults live in their own homes, providing them with the care they need can become difficult. If your loved one needs a high level of care, such as assistance with bathing or medication, these might be skills most family members can’t provide.
Lack of Structure
As seniors age, having structure in their lives can benefit them greatly. This structure can include regularly planned meals, daily and weekly activities, and any other consistency in their day-to-day activities. When seniors live at home, there’s usually no structure to keep them on track. This makes it easier for them to forget medications, skip exercise, and develop feelings of loneliness.
Find Middle Ground with Help from Adult Daycare
If you’re weighing out the pros and cons of elderly parents living independently, you should also consider the added benefits of adult daycare. At Nevada Adult Day Healthcare Centers, we provide many services for seniors, such as nursing services, physical therapy, assistance with some daily living activities, social and recreational activities, hot and healthy meals, health education, podiatry services, transportation, and more. Contact us for more information today!
