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How to Help Your Loved One Acclimate to Living with You

July 7, 2016

Senior Care in Loxahatchee FLSenior Care in Loxahatchee FL

If your elderly loved one is about to move in with you, you might want to take a look at some of these ideas for making the process go more smoothly for both of you.
Make the Home as Accessible as Possible for Your Elderly Loved One Before your loved one moves in, go through the entire home and look at what changes need to be made, if any, in order to make the home more accessible or safer for your elderly loved one. You might need to install hand rails, ramps, or change some lighting so that the home has better lighting in some key areas. Complete as many of these changes as you can before your loved one even moves in.
Talk to Your Loved One about How She Feels Regarding the Move Moving into your home with you may be the only logical solution for your elderly loved one, but how does she actually feel about the impending move? It's a good idea to talk with her about her feelings. She may be feeling a little frightened or worried that this means that she's losing some of her independence. You might be surprised to find out that your loved one has some of the same feelings or fears as you do about the move. Talking about it before it happens can help you both to understand each other a little bit better.
Evaluate How Much Care Your Loved One Will Need You need to be aware from the outset how much care and attention your loved one is going to need. The move will make some care easier, but it may also encroach on some of your other responsibilities. It's important to know from the outset what your responsibilities are going to be so that you can make changes now to accommodate those needs. You may need to hire senior care providers, for example, even with the move, so it's important to know that from the beginning.
Reevaluate Care Needs Every Few Months or Weeks Your loved one's care needs are going to change and evolve over time, so it's important to understand that your initial evaluation is not written in stone by any means. You'll need to consistently reevaluate the situation so that you can adjust as needed. Work with your loved one's medical team to ensure that she's getting all of the assistance that she needs. Moving your loved one into your home can solve a lot of problems for both of you, but you need to do it properly.
If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Loxahatchee, FL, contact the caring staff at BrightStar Care of Jupiter. Call today (561) 741-1200.