For caretakers, moving to assisted living is a significant, difficult, and often heartbreaking decision.
Guilt, broken promises, and feelings of obligation make it much more difficult.
Because there are so many emotions involved, it can be difficult to tell whether a relocation is truly necessary - especially if you're trying to avoid making that difficult decision for as long as possible.
However, there are situations when caring for someone at home becomes dangerous or hard to sustain.
To help you decide, we've compiled a list of 5 signs that your elderly loved one needs to move into assisted living.
5 indicators that it is time to go into assisted living
1. Your elderly relative is aggressive.
Some elderly people, particularly those suffering from dementia, may exhibit aggressive or violent behavior.
If trying other methods to minimize this behavior or medication does not work, you and the person are at risk of being gravely damaged.
It also increases the emotional burden of an already stressful circumstance.
2. Their care requirements have grown too great for safe in-home care.
Most older persons' health and skills will deteriorate over time.
Unfortunately, no matter how good the care, aging and major diseases will continue to progress.
One day, your elderly relative's care needs may exceed what you can safely handle at home.
Moving to assisted living, for example, may be necessary if someone now requires continual supervision and care (including waking up frequently at night). It is quite difficult for one or two people to maintain that level of care over time.
Alternatively, if your elderly relative grows much larger or heavier and develops mobility concerns, it will become physically impossible or unsafe to assist them in moving around.
3. They are continually attempting to flee the house and are at a high risk of becoming lost or hurt.
Many people suffering from dementia wish to roam about or have the desire to visit specific locations.
Unfortunately, because of the damage to their brain, they usually don't know how to get around, how to get back home, or how to prevent accidents or injuries.
People suffering from dementia can frequently leave the house in the blink of an eye - or in the time it takes you to use the restroom or grab them a glass of water.
If you've secured the residence to the best of your ability but they're still able to escape, it may be time to relocate them to a completely protected memory care facility for their own safety.
4. The cost of in-home care is prohibitively expensive.
Hiring an in-home caregiver is a costly proposition. As older folks require greater care, they will require more and more assistance.
The cost of hiring caregivers can eventually exceed available financial resources.
When this occurs, it may be necessary to relocate to an assisted living community for budgetary reasons.
Assisted living expenditures are also substantial, but they may be less expensive than the quantity of in-home care required.
5. You're feeling completely overwhelmed by continuous, severe caregiver stress.
It is normal to feel worried as a result of the responsibility and hard work of caregiving, but when stress levels are too high for too long, it can adversely impair your health and well-being.
When this happens, your capacity to care for your elderly relative can suffer substantially, sometimes to the point where you are unable to care for them safely.
