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3 Signs That Aging in Place Isn’t Working Anymore

Rose Traub • May 20, 2020

If your senior parents want to age in place, they’re not alone: Three out of four seniors prefer to stay in their home as long as possible.

However, what an aging parent wants and what they need isn’t necessarily the same thing. How can loved ones recognize when aging in place isn’t working out, and how can you convince a senior who is insistent on staying put that they need to move? If you’re concerned about an aging parent living at home, look out for these three signs that it’s no longer safe to age in place.

1. Getting around the house is becoming dangerous

Does it seem like your elderly parents are testing fate every time they walk through the house? Families have a lot of options for aging-in-place remodeling or downsizing to an age-friendly home, but if you’ve taken these steps and your parent is still struggling with mobility problems, it may be time for a much bigger downsize.

2. Your parent is growing confused and forgetful

Mobility isn’t the only factor that determines a senior’s ability to live at home. Cognitive impairment can also make home a dangerous place. Seniors with dementia may forget about food on a stovetop, fail to pay the heating bill in mid-winter, or wander away from home. While many seniors can continue to live at home in the early stages of cognitive decline, more help is needed as dementia progresses.

3. Your parents need help, but there’s no one to provide it.

This is a common problem for seniors with long-distance loved ones. While millions of seniors rely on unpaid family caregivers for help at home, those who can’t are faced with a hefty bill: Full-time home care costs over $4,000 a month on top of a senior’s other living costs.

How to Talk About Senior Living

Often, families recognize the need for help before a senior does. As a result, it’s up to loved ones to broach the senior living conversation. How can you do it sensitively and productively? These tips can help.

1. Understand the senior living options

It’s important to go into the senior living conversation informed so you can focus on the facts. Understand the types of senior living, including assisted living, independent living, memory care, and continuing care retirement communities. While independent living sounds appealing to many seniors, it may not provide enough hands-on care for your loved one. Independent living offers senior-friendly housing and amenities but not the caregiving services found in assisted living. Meanwhile, memory care facilities exclusively serve seniors with dementia, and continuing care communities provide a variety of care levels in one setting.

2. Don’t force the issue

It’s important to understand the options, but that doesn’t mean you should start the conversation talking about assisted living. Instead, discuss the challenges your senior parents are facing at home and how they can solve them. Use examples of other seniors who have hired help or moved to senior living to demonstrate how people you know are managing the challenges of aging.

3. Hear your loved one’s concerns

Even if a senior recognizes assisted living as the right choice, they may have fears about moving. Listen to their concerns and offer reassurance and solutions. For example, you could help find a pet-friendly community, hire a senior move manager to help downsize, or set up a regular time when the family will visit.

Senior Living Resources

To learn more about senior living, turn to these helpful resources:

Remember that the assisted living conversation may be a long one. It takes time for seniors set on aging in place to come to terms with accepting help. Start the conversation before it’s urgent so your senior parents can get the help they need when they need it.

Image via Unsplash

Make Valentine’s Day Special for Seniors

By Donna Nichols • February 5, 2025
Valentine’s Day tends to zero in on romantic love, but what about our seniors? They too often get forgotten. We have some ways to make Valentine’s Day special for them too. Spend the day with your loved one. Spending quality time with a loved one is more important to a senior than anything else. There is no greater gift than time and please make sure you have enough, so you are not rushed. Do your elderly loved one have a favorite meal? Perhaps you can prepare it for them, or if they are able, you can prepare it together. How fun would that be for you both? Be sure to discuss the enjoyment it brought you while you are sharing the meal together. How about a game of name that love song? You could prepare a playlist of love songs from the generation and play them to see how many they get correct. Or, if you can sing, you can sing some for them and see if they can recollect them. Take some time for reminiscing, go through old photo albums, or ask about old times. Ask them about when you were young and what trouble you caused; this will give you all something to laugh (or cry) about. Has your loved one been cooped up all winter? Take them out for a nice lunch, or weather permitting, a picnic in the park. Go for coffee and a donut, then head out to see a movie. Make a “date” of it. Maybe your senior is into crafts. You can design special Valentine’s Day cards for other family members. This way your senior can express their love for them and send it to them in their own unique way. You can create other greeting cards as well. Bake some special treats together. Does your senior have some favorite cookies or cake? You could bake it together, or you can bake it for them. Then you can enjoy it after you have the meal you prepared together. Yummy, delicious!! You can watch some romantic movies together if they prefer to stay in the house or the weather isn’t so good. If they like to color, you can buy them some of those large coloring books and you can color together. Don’t forget the decorations and the flowers! Make the house or apartment as festive as possible. Even if they live in as assisted living community, you can still decorate their room to the nines! Make it as festive as possible! If you live in another state or can’t be close to your senior for Valentine’s Day, how about sending them a specially crafted care package. You can hand make some gifts, add some photos of family and friends, and send a personally recorded message. You can bake some homemade treats and incorporate some things that are of personal interest to them. This will show how much you care for them and make their Valentine’s Day extra special even if you can’t be with them.  There are so many ways to make Valentine’s Day special for seniors. Let’s not forget about them; make sure to show them they are so loved too!

February is National Heart Month

By Donna Nichols • February 4, 2025
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Hydration Tips for the Winter

By Donna Nichols • January 8, 2025
I’ve written many blogs about the importance of staying hydrated in the summer, but did you know it’s just as important to stay hydrated in the winter months? I’ve shared some important tips on how to stay hydrated in the winter and why. Cold, dry air can dehydrate you easily and quickly. Even if you don’t feel thirsty. Proper hydration can help regulate your body temperature, maintain healthy organ function, and prevent fatigue, dry skin, and headaches. In the colder months, you do not feel thirsty, that’s why it’s so important to make sure you drink plenty of water. Why is winter hydration so important? Colder air tends to be drier causing moisture to evaporate through your breathing which can cause dehydration. In colder weather, you may not feel as thirsty, causing you to become dehydrated quickly. Also, wearing more clothing traps sweat inside your clothing causing more fluid loss. What are some of the benefits of staying hydrated in the winter? • Drinking enough water helps keep your skin hydrated and prevents dryness. This will help with that dry, itchy skin feeling we all get in the winter. • Water helps your body maintain a regular core temperature. Which is so important to maintain in the winter. • Drinking plenty of water supports your immune system, which helps fight off winter colds and the flu. We all want to fight those germs off! • When you are dehydrated, you become tired easily, so drinking plenty of water helps keep your energy levels up. How do you stay hydrated in the winter? • Make sure you drink plenty of water. Set reminders if you must; you probably won’t feel as thirsty in the winter, but you need to keep drinking that water! • You don’t have to drink cold water; room temperature water works. You can also drink tea or water with lemon, as long as you’re getting your water. • If you’re going out, carry a water bottle with you to ensure you have water to drink. • Eat fruits and vegetables that contain water. Tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, watermelon, cauliflower, mushrooms, cucumber, apples, and pineapple are just a few that contain high water contents. • If you think you’re dehydrated, check your urine; if it’s a darker color, that can suggest dehydration. Urine should be a pale, yellow color. As you can see, staying hydrated in the winter is just as important as staying hydrated in the summer, if not more. In the winter you don’t realize you are thirsty therefore you tend not to drink as much water as you should. This has the potential of wreaking havoc on your body. Please make sure you drink plenty of water in the wintertime as you do in the summertime. We have rebranded our company, we are now Assisted Senior Services! Call us for ANYTHING SENIOR!! 386-847-2322!
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