Talk To Your Parents About Moving into Assisted Living

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Maybe you’ve only just started thinking about assisted living or have already done your research on senior living facilities in Winston-Salem, NC. When considering these options for your loved one, it’s important to get together as a family and discuss the options. This allows everyone to openly discuss their needs and wants going forward.

The decision to move into assisted living impacts your elderly loved one, yourself and your family. Having all the voices heard can ensure that when you choose a senior living facility in Winston-Salem, NC, it is the best choice for your family.

But having this conversation can be difficult. It can be a very emotional conversation for a senior who values their independence. It can also be quite an emotional conversation for caregivers like yourself. There can often be a mix of guilt for not taking care of your loved one yourself and excitement for the amazing possibilities your loved one can experience in a senior living facility in Winston-Salem, NC.

So let’s go over a few tips to see how to talk to your parents about moving into assisted living.

#1 Explain the Topic
First things first is to get your parents and family members on board with the topic of assisted living and senior facilities in Winston-Salem. Explain why you think this is an important topic to discuss. Reasons could include preparing for the future, providing professional care for your loved one and improving the quality of living for your parents.

#2 Pick a Time and Place
Getting everyone together is often the hardest piece of the puzzle. You should pick a time where everyone can commit a few hours undisturbed to the conversation even if it only takes fifteen minutes to talk everything out. When your family members don’t have upcoming appointments or responsibilities, they will find it easier to be present at the moment and participate fully in the conversation.

Pick a location that is convenient and comfortable for everyone. This is particularly important for your parents as the conversation is about them and could make them feel like they are on the spot. Remote family members can join in using video chat software like Skype or Facetime.

#3 Outline the Important Points
A conversation about senior living facilities in Winston-Salem could be intertwined with a lot of other considerations, so it’s important not to get sidetracked or overwhelmed. Plan the important points that you want to talk about so that you can bring the conversation back on track if emotions run high or the conversation gets off topic.

Being productive in this initial conversation is great, but it’s important to understand that there might not be time to talk about everything or that your loved ones might not be ready to discuss some topics. Focus on a handful of topics and share these with your family ahead of time so they can gather their thoughts.

#4 Be Positive
You might not come to any definitive conclusion or actionable steps after the initial meeting. What is more important is to have your family on board with considering senior living facilities in Winston-Salem and feeling positive towards the idea of assisted living. Set a positive tone for the conversation by allowing everyone to have a voice, asking everyone to keep an open mind and listening without judgments. It’s also important for everyone to turn off distractions and be present in the conversation.

#5 Facilitate the Meeting
If the meeting does not naturally fall in place, it is important for you to facilitate the meeting. Encourage people to share their thoughts and feelings. It’s best for your parent to go first since they are the subject of the meeting. Ask them what is important to them and what they want. It is vital to understand the positions, priorities, and issues of each impacted family member. What are some decisions you can all agree on? What are some unresolved problems? What next steps can you all agree on?

Some people find it helpful to take notes. You can write down the important parts or record the conversation. These notes can help guide you and your family through the process by having a record to refer back to when you are unsure of what was decided or what still needs to be addressed.

#6 Have Realistic Expectations
It’s important to have realistic expectations of what you can accomplish in a first meeting. Your family members might have a lot more to say than you thought or just are not ready to talk about some topics.

It’s also very likely that there will be a lot of different opinions on what is best. Getting complete agreement on any point might be very difficult. If you come to a deadlock, it’s okay to put aside the issue and come back to it at another time. Opinions can change after some time to think.

It’s key to remember that you are a family and the most important point is to work together. Finding a solution that works for everyone can take time and effort on everyone’s part.

#7 Set Another Meeting
Moving to a senior living facility in Winston-Salem can be a big decision for the entire family. Setting another meeting and regular meetings to discuss the situation can provide you the time and space to work through unresolved issues and come to actionable next steps. With time to process all the information, your family members might be able to collaboratively find a great option. This also doesn’t pressure you and your family into making a quick decision.

Need more help talking to your parents and family members about moving into a senior living facility in Winston-Salem, NC? If you have specific issues, you’re not sure how to bring up with your family about assisted living, please contact us. We’d be happy to provide guidance on how to handle your family’s concerns about assisted living.