Relocating for the Best Care: Your Guide
Finding the best senior care can be easy for some. Still, when it comes to specific care to cater to particular needs (or if there isn’t adequate care available in one’s home area), some seniors may need to relocate to access the care they require. It demands a lot of consideration, though, so here are several elements to think about and decide with an elderly loved one and the family if the time for care is looming and relocation is necessary.
Does Your Older Loved One Need Care?
The needs of older adults change as they age. While they might be okay now, living alone or with a family member, there’ll likely come a time when their needs become more complex. Here are a few factors to consider when deciding what level of care is needed.
- Does your older loved one require constant assistance or supervision throughout the day and/or night?
- Which daily activities can they do independently? For example, dressing, bathing, eating, going to the toilet.
- Are you or other family members comfortable offering personal care to your elderly loved one? This includes bathing them and changing incontinence pads if necessary.
- Are you and/or your family members mentally and physically healthy and able to care for the elderly loved one?
- Does your elderly family member require specific medical care? If so, are there doctors and medical services close enough in the area for them to access when needed?
- Also, are there transport services, or can family members take your older loved one to medical appointments?
What to Do If Relocation Is Necessary
If any of the questions above create conflict or you’re unable to provide the level of care each one entails, it could mean that your older loved one needs professional care – but that level of care varies. Furthermore, there could be the issue of a lack of appropriate care and medical services in the local area, which may mean relocation is necessary to secure the best quality care suited to your loved one.
Should relocation be necessary, it’s vital to find a care facility or service that can offer the exact type and level of support your loved one needs – whether it’s just a little bit of extra assistance with daily tasks (like a live-in carer or an assisted living facility) or full-on round-the-clock care in a nursing or care home.
Ideally, search for services with good connections to medical centers and hospitals, and if medical staff are also on-hand, that’s even better. Facilities with links to public transport are also favourable, as family members can visit much easier – particularly if they don’t drive. For instance, Signature Care Homes in Highgate is a good example; residents receive tailored care to their needs, but also their families from far and wide can easily access the premises thanks to excellent transport links – this is an important factor to tick off when searching for care in another area.
Moreover, preparation and communication are key. It’s important to discuss the potential move with your elderly relative and ensure they are comfortable with it. Make them feel more at ease by visiting the care facility they’ll move to in advance and help them get to know the staff and other residents before they move in.
In addition, creating a visitation plan with the whole family is a must; whether your loved one moves just down the road or to another state for care, it’s essential to visit them as regularly as possible, which will help keep them at ease and happy throughout their golden years. All family members need to be on board with visits, too; otherwise, it may cause resentment that some aren’t doing their fair share – that’s where communication and a pre-planned visiting arrangement are critical.
