Moving Into Assisted-Living Is A Family Affair
The Washington Post recently detailed how the search for appropriate long time care is “like finding the right college for a young adult.”
See an excerpt of the piece below:
Mary Trvalik never wanted to be an expert on assisted-living facilities, but she became one.
Trvalik and her husband spent late 2019 and early 2020 visiting assisted-living facilities near their home in Boston, near Trvalik’s mother-in-law’s home in Ohio, and in Maryland, where her mother lives. Both women now live in assisted-living facilities.
“The two most important things I learned that make a big difference are the attitude of the parent and the commitment by the assisted-living facility to putting care at the forefront,” says Trvalik. “My mother was a real trouper and was open to looking at places to live. But my mother-in-law was frightened to live at home alone yet also didn’t want to move.”
….
Older adults and their families have some options when it comes to deciding where to live, but these choices can be limited by factors such as illness, ability to perform activities of daily living (for example, eating, bathing, using the toilet, dressing, walking, and moving from bed to chair), financial resources, and personal preferences.
Making a decision that is best for your parent—and making that decision with your parent—can be difficult. Try to learn as much as you can about possible housing options.
