If you have a mom or dad that relies heavily on you to take care of their basic needs, this level of dependence can become overwhelming. At an assisted living facility, many of the residents still drive and lead active, independent lives. When you are constantly shopping, cooking, or cleaning for your parent, your relationship can become strained. When your parent moves to assisted living instead, most of these care needs go away. The facility will take care of laundry and provide them with three meals a day, and you won't need to worry that your parent is getting access to hot meals. Once the care needs of your parent are met, you can focus on having social time together instead of being a care provider.
When You Are the Caregiver
The care needs of a parent often come on slowly. While you might start out taking your mom grocery shopping once a week, you might eventually be doing most of their cooking. As care needs grow, you may find yourself becoming exhausted with the pressure of trying to manage your own family and your parent's needs at the same time. While you may love your parent immensely, caregiver burnout can strain your relationship. Assisted living can provide the care needed so that you can build a relationship that is more equal.
Independence and Assisted Living
Once your parent lives in a place where they have meals provided and laundry gets done, they are going to be more independent from you. This allows both of you to develop a different relationship where you can spend your time having fun together rather than focusing on chores. Your parent will live in a place that takes care of day-to-day chores so that they can focus on social interactions and enjoying life.
Access to an Activity Schedule
Social interactions are important. When your parent is living at home alone, isolation can lead to depression or anxiety setting in. At an assisted living facility, there is a full schedule of activities for your parent to enjoy. From card games to outings in the community, the activity schedule is designed to provide socialization for everyone that lives there.
When you have an increased amount of work to do for a parent, it may be time to consider an assisted living facility. Your parent will get the support they need so that you can focus on having a more social relationship that isn't burdened with chores.
