If you’re an adult child concerned with a parent living alone in his or her home, the decision is not easy: should you move the elderly parent into your home to provide care, or arrange for a home care company to provide care in the senior’s own home?
At FootPrints Home Care, we know this is a frequent issue. Here are some considerations to help in your decision on what’s right for your situation.
• The elderly person is likely more comfortable in their own home, surrounded by their things and familiar spaces. If he or she is not enthusiastic about moving into your home, they may see a move as another large loss of their independence.
• How well does your aging family member enjoy being around others? If your home is often filled with grandchildren or visiting friends, the extra noise and activity may be very disruptive to the parent.
• How would it affect you and your spouse? Is your spouse willing to care for an in-law, and is the parent willing to have the spouse assist in care? If not, recognize that additional stress may be a factor, as your time will be increasingly needed as a caregiver.
• You don’t know what you don’t know. When your parent lives in their own home, they go about their day in the routine they have. When they live in your home, you begin to notice things, and worry about those things, that otherwise, you wouldn’t give a thought to. For example, if it takes 30 minutes for your parent to shower in their home, you don’t know that; they carefully and methodically undress, shower, and dress. But when the parent is in your own home, you now begin to watch and listen for every activity. If he or she is in the bathroom for longer than you think is needed, you begin to worry.
There is no right or wrong decision on how to best care for an elderly family member. Safety should always be the priority—when you feel it’s no longer safe for him or her to live alone, that’s when you recognize that additional care is a priority.
If we can help in your decision about home care, please contact us. FootPrints serves the central New Mexico region from Belen to Los Alamos, Albuquerque to Rio Rancho and the East Mountains. Since 2005, it has been our honor to provide quality home care for New Mexico families.
