Look at yourself as your parents’ advocate. Gather information and be helpful any way you can as they consider their options for care during their golden years. If your parents truly feel like you are their advocate they will be much more likely to consider the options you present.
Do the research for your parents
Looking through all of the information and options for assisted living can feel like an overwhelming task. Your parents may feel hesitant to consider assisted living partially because they do not have all of the information. You can volunteer to be the official researcher and sort through the information that is available about assisted living. Then, you can provide your parents with the information most relevant to them and save them the stress of trying to do it on their own.
Offer to accompany your parents on community visits
Your parents will never be able to get a true sense of what it is like in assisted living until they go visit some of the communities. Visiting an assisted living community will help them get an accurate mental picture of what life will be like if they decide to move. At some communities, visitors are invited to take part in community activities. Doing this could help your parents make connections and feel better about the idea of assisted living. You can encourage your parents to go on community visits by offering to go along. You can even offer to set up the tour and drive your parents there. Make the process as easy as possible for your parents.
Talk to others currently living in assisted living
For some seniors, it is difficult to feel good about a decision to move into assisted living when all they have to go on is a tour of the community. They may need more information than they can get from one or two visits to a community in order to make a decision. If you think this may be the case for your parents you can help them by seeking out friends, family, or acquaintances who currently live in assisted living. Having a trusted friend give a firsthand account of life in assisted living could go a long way toward helping your parents make a decision.
Discuss other potential options for your parent’s care
If you are trying to convince your parents to consider assisted living it may seem counterintuitive to discuss other potential options for senior care. But, discussing the other options may help your parents see that assisted living is a good option. For example, you can talk with your parents about the option of in-home care for the areas where they need assistance. You will also need to discuss hiring help for the maintenance of the yard and home as it becomes too much for your parents to do on their own. Calculating the cost of in-home help combined with the cost of maintenance could help your parents more fully understand the value of assisted living.
It can be difficult to convince your parents to consider assisted living if they are opposed to the idea. But, getting to the root of their hesitation and addressing it gives you the highest likelihood of success in the long run.
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