Minor Injuries: Seeking Treatment in a Timely Manner

Your parents are having more issues with living in their own home. Both parents are slowing down and frequently need help with medical problems. It's time to discuss moving to a care center, such as Health Concepts LTD. While this may be the best option for them, patience and respect are needed in this conversation. Beyond the practical value of moving, make sure your parents know that your concern for them comes out of love and desire to see them safe and healthy. Consider the following topics to be included in your discussion of nursing homes with them.

You Can No Longer Do It Without Help

As they age, your parents have begun to rely on others for help with everyday activities. They get confused about their medications and need someone to sort them out before they take them. They can no longer get up and down the basement stairs to do laundry. Driving has become dangerous for them so they rely on someone to do the weekly grocery shopping. A small group of friends and family have informally organized around them to help them everyday.

Nursing homes have the staff to help with any daily activities. They allow your parents to remain as independent as they wish, while supporting them in those activities they can no longer do themselves. This is the full-time role of the nursing home staff while friends and family must work around their own personal schedules to help your parents.

You're No Longer Safe in Your Home

The comfortable home in which your parents have lived for years has become a dangerous place. The concrete steps from the front door to the sidewalk have no handrail. This poses a hazard each time a parent goes out to check the mailbox. Getting in and out of the bathtub can result in a slip and fall injury. Perhaps your parents have become forgetful and have left a stove burner on after fixing lunch.

Care center spaces are designed to minimize hazards to their senior residents. Stairs are minimal and ample handrails are available when needed. Walk-in bathtubs, shower chairs and various handrails support people as they perform their morning routines. The staff are available whenever an extra hand is needed for safety.

You're Becoming More Isolated from Others

Your parents may go out less, especially if they no longer drive. They may have fewer people come to visit as their friends age and become less mobile. This results in your parents spending the majority of their time alone in their home. Without the social stimulation of friends and activities to keep them sharp, it's easy to become isolated from the world.

Retirement centers place your parents within a community of others who need more contact with people, too. The center plans events to bring people together to socialize. They offer various areas where your parents and their new friends can relax, play cards, do puzzles together, or just sit and talk about what's on their minds.

Your Life's Investment Has Become a Burden

Their house may have served them well for decades, but now, taking care of it has become a large problem. Cleaning, doing minor repairs and keeping the yard in shape are too much for your parents. While they may own their home now, they still have to pay taxes and insurance each month. It may be time to sell the house to someone who can take care of it properly and move into a nursing home.

This may be a difficult conversation for you and your parents. Remind them that it comes from the concern you have for their health and safety. You want them to have a good life for the remainder of their years. A nursing center is the way to insure that their needs are met while giving them the space to enjoy their lives.