Tips for Preparing Your Home for Your Senior to Move In

There are many potential benefits of having your elderly parent transition into living in the home with you and the rest of your family. Having them close eliminates the need to maintain a separate home for them, can take the strain off of a budget, and make it easier for you to be their primary family caregiver. This is also a fantastic opportunity to foster close, meaningful relationships among different generations of the family. In order to get the maximum benefit of this arrangement, it is extremely important to prepare your home before your senior moves in.

Caregiver in Voorhees NJ: Senior Move-In Tips

Use these tips to prepare your home for your senior to move in:

• Establish a private area for your parent to sleep. This should not be an area of the home used for anything else and should be for your parent separately. This provides privacy for them, as well as for the rest of your family.
• Ensure there are safety features throughout the home, such as grab bars and handrails.
• Consider adding a shower bench to the bathroom to make bathing more accessible for your parent.
• Ensure there is space for personal belongings of your parent, such as linens they prefer to use on their bed.
• Consider storage options for other personal items they do not want to part with.
• Establish space in the kitchen where your parent can store foods specifically for them.
• If your parent will be using features in the home such as appliances or electronics, print out instructions for how to use them, laminate them, and post near the item so your parent can get comfortable using them.
• Ensure your home has features your parent will use, such as a coffee maker
• Add a large calendar to your home so everyone knows what everyone needs to do and when. This will help to avoid situations of overbooking, or members of the family not knowing what is happening at any given time.

When you are a family caregiver for your aging parent, it is easy to become completely wrapped up in your responsibilities and spend all of your time and energy focused on fulfilling your senior’s needs.
While it is extremely important for you to dedicate yourself to being in the best caregiver possible for your parents, this does not mean it needs to come at the sacrifice of everything else in your life. Introducing elder care into your care routine for your parent can be a tremendously meaningful way to ensure your senior gets all of the care and support they need as they age, while also giving you flexibility, time to yourself, and the ability to manage other needs in your life. This reduces your stress and protects your own health, well-being, and quality of life.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering a Caregiver in Voorhees, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. 1-800-493-5660