Assisted Living, Knowing when to Make the Move

As human beings, we don't always like to admit when we need help. We tend to feel as if we have failed in some way when we reach out to other people. This alone plays a big factor in why we often wait too long to move our loved ones into an assisted living environment. How do we know when the time is right? Here are a few tips.

Does your loved one live alone? How often does the person require assistance? Can the person get around the house safely on his or her own? Can he or she perform basic everyday tasks such as cooking, taking medications properly,bathing, dressing? Does the person do these things regularly, or does he or she have to be reminded often? Are there reliable people nearby in case of an emergency? What health problems does he or she have? Is safety an issue?

These are just a handful of questions that should be answered when trying to decide if it's time to move your loved one into an assisted living environment. They are not always easy to answer, nor is the decision to move your loved one always an easy one to face.

If your loved one lives alone and requires a lot of assistance and/or reminders to perform basic tasks, it may be time to move them into an assisted living environment. If your loved one has trouble walking around the house, it may be time. If there isn't anyone nearby that could be there quickly in case of an emergency, it may be time to make the move, If your loved one poses any safety hazards to him or her self, it may be time to move.

When making the decision, you shouldn't feel guilty. The bottom line is that you loved one deserves the best possible care that they can get, and sometimes, we just can't do it on our own. Yes, it may upset your loved one to move away from their home into a different place that is unfamiliar, but they will adjust, eventually. You need to put their best interests first, not always their wishes.

Take for example a person who is suffering from Alzheimer's. This person may be able to perform basic everyday tasks with ease, but may often forget to take medication, or may be a wanderer. This could pose serious safety hazards. What if this person forgot to take medication for a week? What if the medication was for diabetes? What kind of health risks are there? What if this person wandered outside on a Summer's night and got lost? In this case, it would be best for the person to have help around the clock. They would be given their medication on a set schedule, and could wander around safely.

What about an elderly person who has no family, only a few friends, lives alone, has medical problems, can perform daily tasks, but is becoming more forgetful and is having more trouble moving around the house? Should this person be moved to an assisted living environment? I say, yes. This person is at great risk for injury because of loss of mobility, may forget to turn the stove off, or something equally as harmful, due to increasing forgetfulness, and probably doesn't have anyone nearby in case of an emergency. Even if there is someone nearby, what if they aren't available?

If the elderly person has a history of falling when left alone for an extended period of time, they probably need to be in assisted living just to have a helping hand around more often. They are at risk for injury from falls, and what if they fell and couldn't call for help?

Often times, we try our best to keep our loved ones at home. We run ourselves into the ground taking care of them. We don't want to go against their wishes of living at home.We don't want to feel as if we failed them in any way. Unfortunately, we aren't always able to be there when we are needed, no matter how hard we try. If you are caring for an elderly loved one and are feeling too overwhelmed, it is time to look into assisted living for them. This can ease the burden on you and also ease your mid a lot. You will know that your loved one is being given the care that is required by trained professionals in a safe place. The knowledge that your loved one is being cared for and that you are doing what is right for your loved one will give you peace of mind. You should never feel like you failed because you made the decision to move your loved one to a safer place. You did this with their safety and health in mind.