The Big Conversation: Discussing Assisted Living with Your Senior Parent

Assisted living is a good senior care option for those who seek some level of independence. This means that they don’t have serious health issues and can generally look after themselves. Approaching the subject of moving your senior parents into an assisted living community can be difficult and needs to be carefully thought out. 

Think of assisted living as an opportunity for your parent(s) to live in comfort with people closer to their own age. Discuss how it offers them a chance to make new friends and have fun – without the hassle of running their own home. 

How to Approach the Topic with a Senior

Adult Care Advisors offers you a few tips on how to have this important discussion with your senior loved ones. 

• Early Beginnings: Approach the topic well in advance. This is not the kind of decision that should be rushed, so make sure that your senior parent has enough of time to think about and get used to the idea of living in an assisted living community.

• Point of View: Put yourself in your parent’s shoes – what are your primary concerns with regard to assisted living? When having the discussion make sure you address all of these issues. Remain sensitive to the anxiety and help your senior feel positive about the transition. Make sure it is a two-way conversation – let your senior ask questions.

• Research: Only begin the discussion after doing a fair bit of research. This will help you understand what assisted living entails and possible options in your area. Besides this, citing real life examples can put your parent at ease. Creating a mental ‘pros & cons’ list might also help.

When choosing an assisted living community, cost is definitely a major consideration. Although more expensive than other senior care communities, don’t assume that these facilities are beyond reach for most people with average incomes. More importantly, think of it as simply a shift of expenses from one living arrangement to another for your seniors.

Each assisted living community varies according to the amenities and care services, so these factors influence costs. According to some industry statistics, the median rate for a private one-bedroom apartment in an assisted living residence in 2011 was $3,300 per month. Adult Care Advisors can provide you with sound advice on how to determine costs and find affordable assisted living in New Jersey.

Assisted Living Communities – Medicare, Medicaid, and More

Paying for senior care communities can be a challenge for many, but with adequate planning, assisted living can be an affordable options your senior.

Medicare and Medicaid: Unfortunately, Medicare doesn’t cover the cost of enrolling at an assisted living community. Medicaid, on the other hand, may offer financial help towards assisted living costs in some cases.

Reverse Mortgage: This enables senior homeowners, aged 62 and above, (especially those with significant equity in their homes) to get some funds out of their homes with no tax penalties.

Veteran’s Aid and Attendance Pension: Some senior citizens may be eligible for the Veteran’s Aid and Attendance Pension program. This allows financial aid to those who qualify and are in need of assistance with activities of daily living such as eating, bathing, dressing, etc.

Source:-

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Plan Your Senior Care in Advance for Comfort and Peace of Mind

Thinking about senior care can often be overwhelming. Thoughts of memory loss, immobility and being separated from your family are disturbing. Adult Care Advisors offers you a better understanding of what senior care involves and how to prepare for it. 

If you plan your senior care in advance, you could have a comfortable, healthy senior adulthood with very few restrictions. Elders who get help before things go wrong have a very positive outlook and enjoy a good quality of life.

How to Plan Your Senior Care in Advance 

Here’s a list of the things you need to take into consideration when planning for the future:

• Finances: Possibly the most important aspect of senior care, you need to come up with a financial plan. There are not too many financial aid options available for seniors, so check out the Medicare and Medicaid programs accessible to you. You could also look into long-term care insurance or veterans’ benefits. 

• Type of Care: There are many senior care options available today. From assisted living communities to nursing homes, home care, hospice care and short term stays, the choices are plenty. If you get a good understanding of your options, you can make a well-informed decision when the time comes.

• Documentation: When you get utilize senior care services, most communities and organizations expect a well maintained list of medical documents, insurance papers, bank information etc. It’s good to have these ready on hand.

Adult Care Advisors offers you a few tips on when you need to seek senior care. There are some subtle signs that differentiate between whether your senior loved one is merely absent-minded or in need of senior care. It’s the simple, everyday tasks that need monitoring. Forgetting to lock the door or leaving a stove on can happen to anybody, but if it happens too often, you or your senior loved one is no longer safe home alone. This indicates the strong need for senior care.  

• If seniors find it difficult to perform ordinary chores like the laundry or the dishes, they often become withdrawn and show warning signs of anxiety and even depression. This  is definite indication that they need assistance with daily tasks.

• Does your senior loved one have memory lapses? Forgetting where they left things, the dosage of their medication or showing other symptoms of memory loss calls for immediate senior care assistance. Although memory impairment is degenerative, if detected early, it can be slowed down significantly.

• Personal hygiene needs to be examined closely. Can they dress themselves? Do they comb their hair and bathe regularly. Poor personal hygiene can causes sickness that will have long term detrimental effects.
   
• Balance and stability are important factors and need to be monitored very often. If your loved one has trouble climbing stairs properly, tires halfway up a flight of stairs or shows signs of unsteadiness, it’s the right time to seek senior care.

Source:- http://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm/5641759?articleid=5641759