Visiting home for the holidays is a cherished time to celebrate traditions and reconnect with loved ones. These moments often bring joy, but they can also provide an opportunity to notice subtle changes in an aging parent’s behavior or routine.
If you find yourself wondering whether your loved one is thriving at home, you’re not alone. Recognizing these changes can feel overwhelming, but it’s also the first step toward exploring ways to support their safety, comfort, and quality of life.
At The Birches, we support families who experience these concerns. If you’re exploring the possibility of senior living for your aging parent with increased daily needs, you’re not alone.
Our Clarendon Hills assisted living community offers families peace of mind. When you choose us for assisted living, you’ll rest easy, knowing your aging parent has the respectful assistance and considerate support they deserve to live in comfort, security, and ease.
Learn more about our personalized, comprehensive approach to assisted living and care.
When a Holiday Visit Reveals Your Aging Parent Is Struggling at Home
Processing the changes
As a child, your parents took care of you. Over time, roles often reverse, and adult children may find themselves caring for aging parents.
Noticing changes in their abilities – whether physical, emotional, or cognitive can bring a mix of emotions, from concern to sadness. These feelings are natural and an important part of understanding what’s happening.
You might worry they’ll forget to take their daily medications, push themselves too hard to complete household chores, or be at risk for a fall. You may also be concerned about reduced mobility or even socialization if they are no longer able to connect in the community as they used to do.
Changes in mobility, memory, or household upkeep don’t just happen overnight; they’re often gradual. While it might feel easier to look the other way, addressing these shifts early can help prevent more significant challenges later. Taking a proactive approach ensures you can find the right support at the right time, reducing stress for everyone involved.
Thankfully, you have options in getting your loved one the support and assistance they need to maintain a good quality of life.
Finding a way forward
If a holiday visit reveals concerning changes in your aging loved one’s abilities, you may feel unsure what to do, how to help, and how to move forward.
The first step is to open a dialogue with your loved one. Share your concerns and be willing to listen to their perspective. It’s important to be aware that your loved one may have a different opinion than you.
They may also be working through feelings of grief, having noticed on some level that they are experiencing changes. They may seek to downplay or dismiss your concerns.
If possible, it may be best to wait until the excitement and togetherness of the holidays have passed to plan a heart-to-heart dialogue with your loved one about the changes you’ve noticed and your concerns.
However, if the issues you’re seeing pose immediate risks to their safety and well-being it may be wisest not to wait to discuss things with them.
It’s also important to plan to have more than one discussion about your loved one’s current needs and how to approach them.
You have options when it comes to deciding the best next steps for your unique situation. Learn what your loved one is open to exploring, whether it’s life at home with some extra support or joining an assisted living community.
The course you pursue will depend on several factors.
These include:
- You loved one’s preferences
- Their level of daily needs
- Your budget
For many families, assisted living is the best option to attend to a loved one’s daily needs and lifestyle preferences.
You may even discover assisted living is more cost-effective than in-home care, once all the expenses are factored in.
Modern assisted living communities have so much to offer seniors. From meeting daily needs to enhancing engagement and connection; assisted living may not only be the best option for your loved one’s safety, but also for their overall well-being.
Exploring assisted living
Your loved one may have a view of assisted living that doesn't truly capture all modern assisted living has to offer. They may worry transitioning into assisted living means they’ll give up their freedom and independence.
But today’s assisted living communities focus on empowering seniors to feel both independent and secure. They work to help each resident find their unique balance between freedom and safety.
At The Birches, resident engagement and empowerment is at the core of our approach to assisted living. Our residents have a voice and a choice in everything we offer in our community, and they know we always value their input and ideas.
Here, your loved one will be valued for their unique perspectives and ideas. They will be welcomed as a respected member of our community and encouraged to contribute to and participate in our community in the ways they prefer.
The Birches is proud to be a Certified Montessori Inspired Lifestyle community. This means we foster and uphold the importance of individual choice, personal freedom, and lifelong growth and learning in all who call our community home.
Our community is rich in both self-led and community-based opportunities to engage, learn, and discover. We let our assisted living residents take the lead and decide how they want to spend their time. Our role is to encourage and support them to access their best quality of life.
When you and your loved one understand the many lifestyle benefits and offerings of assisted living, it may help solidify your decision that this is the best choice for your loved one’s continued health, safety, and happiness.
Many people resist change. But feeling prepared for change by acquiring knowledge can help allay concerns and fears and most importantly, promote positive action.
To support both you and your loved one in this transition process, we’ve provided expert tips and information about planning for a successful move into senior living and offered suggestions to promote a smooth transition into assisted living.
Supported by the information and resources you need, both you and your loved one can approach your senior living decision-making process with confidence and clarity. Knowing the facts, you can work together to determine if a move into assisted living is the right choice.
Download our free Embracing Change: Smooth Transitions to Senior Living guide for additional trustworthy information about senior living and care. This comprehensive resource can be printed and shared with those you love. Reach out directly to our team for personalized support and answers to your senior living questions.
