Adult Children of Aging Parents - Part Three

What Your Parents Need - (Continued)

My Mom (age 82) and Dad (age 85) have made it very clear to me and my siblings that they do not want to go into a nursing home or even an assisted living community.  They want to stay at home!  We have talked about this a lot in the past few years.  Luckily for us (for now), they are in pretty decent health and need only minor assistance in the home.   We recognize that this might change at some point in the future and we are setting up a plan in advance to address their wants versus their needs should we be faced with the challenges of declining health.

My Parents Want to Stay at Home –But They Need Help 

In the first two parts of this series; ADULT CHILDREN OF AGING PARENTS, we talked about determining the aging parents’ current situation, opening up and maintaining a dialogue with our parents, the challenges of discussing private information with the Silent Generation, and we set out some important questions designed to start this important dialogue.  Armed with the answers to these and other questions, it is time to take the conversation to the next level. 

These are just a few of the many needs to be met if your parents want to stay at home.   This is especially true if they experience a decline in either physical or mental health.   

·         a safe, secure and clean home environment

·         nutritious meals

·         exercise

·         regular doctor visits, physical therapy visits

·         stimulating social and/or activity engagements

·         if there is a pet in the home, they might need help caring for it

·         if only one parent is left at home, he or she will need companionship

·         if they suffer from arthritis they will need help with activities of daily living such as personal hygiene, housekeeping, dressing, bathing, etc.

·         if they are no longer able to drive-they will need transportation or at least someone to run errands for them

·         if they have a chronic disease, (asthma, bronchitis, COPD, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS) they may need to have their condition monitored on a regular basis

·         if they are afflicted with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease they will need reminders

What's Next?

Everybody needs something! As baby boomers we are part of the "sandwhich generation".  We have our own children, most now young adults, that we are trying to assist.  We might have our own health issues to deal with as we start to age. We have our own households to manage, and now we have our parents concerns to manage as well.   It can all seem very overwhelming but know that you are not alone in this as the baby boomer generation is the largest generation in history. We have a lot of support from within the family, from our friends, from the community in which we live, or from the big wide world.  You can contribute to the discussion and the solutions by becoming a voice of the baby boomer generation.  Let me know your stories, your thoughts, your opinons about taking care of aging parents by leaving your comments here.  Lets keep the dialogue open and keep it going.

In Part Four of this series; Adult Children of Aging Parents, we will start to take a closer look each of the above needs and talk about ways to help your aging parents maintain their independence in the comfort of their own home. 

About Us

Jan Casella is an expert author and the co-founder and President of Family Matters In Home Care, Inc. in Grand Rapids, MI. 

Family Matters In Home Care, Inc. serves those who wish to be cared for in the comfort of their own home.  Serving within a 50 miles radius of Grand Rapids, we are here to help you develop a solid plan to care for your aging loved one.