Taking Care Of The Elderly

There are more options for taking care of the elderly than ever before, but sometimes that makes the decisions even harder. When I had to first start thinking about taking care of elderly parents, I couldn't figure out what to do. Part of me wanted to go more traditional and keep my parents in the house. I figured that I could take some time off work and my wife could do the same, and between us we could take care of our parents as they grew older. Then again, I did value my freedom, so I contemplated some other options for taking care of the elderly. On the other extreme was sending my parents to a nursing home, something which definitely had its appeal. I love my parents, but I do not want them to constantly be my responsibility. Sending them to a place where they can get professional quality care for the elderly seemed like a good idea to me.

What I didn't realize was that there were a lot of other options. There was in-home care, for example, where we could hire a professional to come in a few times a week and check up on my parents to make sure they were doing all right. There were also assisted living facilities where older people can live a semi-independent lifestyle with a little bit of supervision to make sure they are okay. In some ways, this seemed like a really good option for taking care of the elderly. You see, my parents are both pretty sharp and independent, so an assisted living place would allow them to maintain a good degree of freedom while still having the extra care that their age demanded.

Ultimately, we all had to come to a consensus together. I sat down with my wife and my parents and discussed the different options for taking care of the elderly. One thing I found out very quickly was that my parents actually didn't really want to live with me. This was quite a relief, because although I love my parents, I didn't want them to constantly be in my house for the rest of my life. The more we thought about it, the more assisted-living sound like the best option. It would let them hang out with other seniors and enjoy their retirement, have an active and healthy life, and have the additional care and supervision that they might need as they got older. All in all, it seemed like the best option for taking care of the elderly at least for our family. It provided independence and dignity, while at the same time ensuring adequate care.