Whether you are a senior or a caregiver, adjusting to at-home care and living with the family again can be a difficult challenge. Transitioning from living independently to moving in with family can be a difficult decision. There are many emotions, considerations, and obstacles to overcome when a family makes the decision to have grandma and grandpa move back in. Finding ways to adjust to at-home care will only make the experience easier to handle for everyone involved.
Adjusting to At-Home Care
Understanding Emotions
Change is difficult to accept at any age. Adult children helping their parents move back in with them may feel underprepared to take care of their parents. And their parents may feel like a burden or helpless. Elderly family members are used to being the caretakers so it may be difficult for them to accept switching roles with their children. Sitting down to discuss how everyone involved is feeling, even the grandchildren, can only help the process.
Assigning Household Roles
Children who take in their elderly parents for at-home care should understand they are helping with everyday activities now. While it may not be time to help them with bathing or moving around, they may have started to slow down physically and mentally. Knowing when to help with everyday chores or a daily routine can make the difference between a good day and a bad one.
And giving a role to the senior in need will make them happy as well. They may not be able to vacuum or lift things like they use to, but they can help with decorating or simple tasks. Let them lend their hand in art projects like knitting or babysitting their grandchildren; they’ll love the extra time they can contribute.
Preparing the Home
Making sure the home is ready for at-home care is one of the most important steps in adjusting a senior to living with the family. If the loved one in need has physical restrictions, it is probably best to give them a room on the first floor of the house or install a system for helping them up the stairs. And make sure the space given to them feels like their own space. It can be difficult permanently moving to a home that feels like a hotel. Help design the safest layout for them but also let seniors decorate their own rooms. Their personality will shine through, letting them feel welcome in their new home.
Have a Sense of Humor
As mentioned before, change is tough. But, after all, parents are being reunited with their children in a new way. It is going to be an adjustment period for everyone involved, but finding the humor in everyday struggles will help seniors and their family caregivers make it through the toughest times of at-home care.
