How to Prepare for Your Elderly Parents Moving In

If there’s one thing that we can all guarantee in life, it’s that we’re going to age. This means that as you get older, your parents are going to be getting older too. So along with looking after yourself and your children, you’ll also want to start thinking about the ways you’ll need to look after your aging parents too. For many people, moving them into your own household makes a lot of sense. If this is something you’re considering, here’s how you can prepare for it.

Adjust Your Home

To begin with, you may find that you need to be able to make some adjustments to your home. In order for your elderly parents to be able to live with you, it might be the case that changes need to be made in order for it to be safe and accessible for them. From handrails to more lighting to removing trip hazards, it’s important for you to ensure that the home is suitable for them to live in without any issues or threats to their health and safety.

Make Space for Them

Alongside that, it’s also important to make sure that you have space for them. This goes beyond making sure that the property is suitable for them to access and move about in. Make sure that they have a designated bedroom – ideally on the ground floor so that they don’t have to worry about getting up and down the stairs as their mobility decreases.

Make Sure They’re Comfortable

You’ll also want to make sure that they are comfortable being in your home and living with you. This can be a hard transition for them. They might be used to having their own space, and being in new surroundings can also be challenging. Looking to be as welcoming as possible and making sure they’re comfortable can help you to both settle into this new way of life.

Have Everything They Need

At the same time, it also helps if you can make sure that they have everything they need to hand. It’s important that they feel supported and have the tools and equipment to do this. It can help for you to do research into things they might need for their health, accessibility, and mobility. Here, you can get the full story in relation to what might help their hearing health. It’s also important to consider things like eyesight and any medication they may need.

Communicate With Them Often

Lastly, you’re going to want to ensure that you’re communicating with them regularly. It can be such a huge adjustment for the both of you – but it will be very new and different to them. Here, looking to keep the channels of communication open and clear will help everyone to adjust. Make sure that they are letting you know how they feel so that you can take that on board. It’s important to make sure that they are happy, comfortable, and adjusting well. You want them to be happy with you, rather than their mental health and general wellbeing decline. Doing so should mean that this can be a happy transition for everyone.