Recognizing When It Is Time for Professional Aging Services
Finding the Right Solution for Your Parents—and You
Let’s talk about a common situation for many families.
You are an adult who is providing care for one or two aging parents. Your parents still live in their home, but it is only through your sheer will and determination—and perhaps the help of a partner or sibling—to keep them there. You are cooking, cleaning, assisting with personal hygiene tasks, managing meal planning and grocery shopping, and taking your parents on errands and to and from the doctor. And that’s probably only the tip of the iceberg.
You may think to yourself, “How long can I keep this up?” But that feeling may be quickly followed by guilt: These are my parents. I want them to continue living at home.
But here’s the really hard question—and it is a difficult one for any child to answer:
Do you want to live this way?
You have your own responsibilities, interests, and dreams: Being a full-time caretaker probably wasn’t what you imagined for this time in your life. You are sacrificing your own life to aid your parents—and the more you devote yourself to caring for their every need, the more unsustainable it becomes. When you visit them, you are spending extremely precious time doing laundry, making and serving meals, and cleaning. This comes at a cost: You are not having conversations about what really is important, learning about your family heritage, looking at family photo albums, or sharing family news or stories. You may later have regrets about not making the most of this time that you had with them.
Again, ask yourself: Do you want to live this way?
Making a big change will not be easy on you or your parents, but if you are at this point: It is time. We are here to help you find a way to meet your parents’ physical, mental, and emotional needs and provide them with a beautiful, comfortable, and safe living environment as they age. Trust our caring professionals to enhance your parents’ life and give them an opportunity to meet new friends, explore hobbies and interests they’ve always wanted to try, and fully enjoy this next phase of their lives—and you will be free to focus on your own life once again. There are added benefits for all of you: Once you lighten your caretaking load and can simply enjoy your time together, you will surely see your relationship with your parents improve.
Talk to us about your parents or loved ones’ needs and get the information you need to schedule a tour of our campus and explore the options available.
