3 Tips For Encouraging Your Aging Loved One To Move Into An Independent Living Facility

While it’s never easy to see someone you love no longer be able to take care of themselves as they age, helping your loved one to see this in themselves can be even more challenging. But if you feel that your loved one is getting to the point where they need help on a more consistent basis, moving into an independent living facility might be the best option for them.

To help them to see this, here are three tips for encouraging your aging loved one to move into an independent living facility.

Plan To Revisit This Conversation Multiple Times

It’s not realistic to think that you can bring this topic up one time and have your elderly loved one be completely on board. Knowing this, you should plan to have this conversation with them multiple times as you help them wrap their head around this idea and become comfortable with the thought of leaving their home and living somewhere else.

These conversations likely won’t be easy for anyone, so make sure you begin speaking with them about this at a time when they’re feeling good and there aren’t any time pressures or guests to make the situation hurried or uncomfortable. Otherwise, things could go badly.

Reassure Them That You Want Them To Be Safe And Healthy

Each time you talk about the idea of having them live in an independent living facility, make sure you start each conversation by sharing with them that your only concern is for their health and well being.

Many elderly people can feel like their family wants to abandon them by having them live in an independent or assisted living facility. But if this is the place where they are going to get the best care, help them to see that this is where you are coming from and why you feel so passionate about them making this change. Explain that you want them to be around for as long as possible and that this is the best way for that to happen.

Visit An Independent Living Facility

Before you ask your loved one to make a decision about living in an independent living facility, it may be helpful for you all to visit a place like this so they can see what it would really be like living there.

When a visit is made, your eldelry loved one may see just how much love and care the residents are given at the facility. They might be better able to envision themselves living there and could even speak with some of the staff or other residents to get a better feel for what they would experience as a resident in a place like this. If you think your elderly loved one should soon be living in an independent living facility, consider using the tips mentioned above to help encourage them in making this decision.