Preparing Your Home for Your Elderly Parents

It often seems like there are two choices regarding aging—either aging in place or going into an assisted living facility. Yet, there is another option. If you’ve considered moving your elderly parents into your home, you’re not alone.

Many children of aging parents find that living with aging parents is a simpler option than going into the parents’ home and being a caretaker. However, parents moving in with a child isn’t without its complexities, and there are a few steps you should take when it comes to preparing your home for your elderly parents. Also, some children worry about the cost of taking care of elderly parents at home. 

Read on to learn more about how to prepare for this event, and if the choice is right for you.

Preparing Your Home for Your Elderly Parents: Should Your Aging Parent Move in with You?

Making a move to having an elderly parent move in with you can be the ultimate bonding experience, or you may find you grate on each other’s nerves. It also does matter the level of care your parent or parents need when it comes to caring for your parents at home. If you’re considering the question, “Should I have my elderly mother live with me?” you should ask yourself some questions first. 

Preparing your home for your elderly parents include:

• Are there unresolved issues between myself and my parents that may make this difficult?
• When it comes to vacations, is it a real family vacation, or will my parents go into respite care?
• How does my parent feel about this?
• How does my significant other and my children feel about this?
• Should I ask my parents to contribute toward rent?
• Should they help around the house at all?

These are just some example questions, and everyone’s situation is different when it comes to seniors moving in with their children. You may want to ask yourself even more questions before you make this big move. 

There is also the question about cost: you may wonder, “If my elderly mother is living with us, how will it affect the budget?” It can be tough to estimate exactly how much living with elderly parents can cost, but nursing homes can cost upward of $80,000 per year. There may come a point where you need to hire a housekeeper, and the food budget will be affected. A big question to ask if you’re thinking, “Can I care for the elderly in my home?” is how much time you may need to take from work to do so.

Preparing Your Home for Your Elderly Parents: How Can You Tell When an Elderly Person Can’t Live Alone?

An important thing to think about before you take steps to prepare your home for your elderly parents is noticing the signs that they aren’t functioning well in their current environment, which is likely aging in place. 

There are a few key signs to look out for:

• Confusion when it comes to taking medication, such as taking the wrong medication or forgetting to take medication
• Frequent falls and bruising
• Loss of sight
• Loss of interest in things once enjoyed
• Unexplained purchases
• Messy home
• Untidy appearance or lack of personal care
• Missed or forgotten appointments or important events

If you find that you’re see several of these things, it may be a good idea to talk about different living arrangements with your parent or parents. 

Preparing Your Home for Your Elderly Parents: Setting Up the Home

If you’ve made a choice to move your parents into your home instead of moving in with your elderly parents, you’ll need to prep your house. If you’re wondering, “How do you deal with elderly parents living with you?” one of the best tricks is preparing your home for your elderly parent’s way in advance of their arrival. 

You’ll want to consider:

• Room choice. You may want mom and dad on the main floor with no stairs and close to a bathroom.
• Modifications. You may want to think about making your home wheelchair accessible, or adding stairlifts.
• Safety modifications. You may want to install an extra rail in the shower, more lighting, or safety rails throughout the home.
• Adding comfort. You may want to choose items that will make your parents feel more comfortable, such as a lift recliner.

These are all things you can talk about with your parents well in advance of their arrival, so you’re a bit more prepared. 

To hear more about preparing your home for your elderly parents, or to hear about how mobility products, such as wheelchair ramps and stairlifts, can be life-changing, contact us at Williams Lift Co. today. We want both caregivers and their patients to live their best lives.