What Do You Need to Know about Setting up Your Home for Your Aging Adult to Move In?

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At some point on your caregiving journey, you might find that it’s making more and more sense to move your elderly family member into your home. If that is the best option for both of you, you might need to adjust more than you think.

Elderly Care Hunterdon NJ - What Do You Need to Know about Setting up Your Home for Your Aging Adult to Move In?

Elderly Care Hunterdon NJ – What Do You Need to Know about Setting up Your Home for Your Aging Adult to Move In?

Determine if You Really Have the Space

To have the right space for both you and your elderly family member, you need to both be able to be comfortable and have the privacy that you need. That said, you do not need to live in a mansion for this to work well. Consider your aging adult’s needs and how you can accommodate them.

Map out Potential Safety Challenges

Your home may still have some potential safety challenges, such as furniture that needs rearranging or ramps that need installing. Look through your home with an objective eye about what needs correcting in order to be safe.

Modify What Most Needs Modifying

The two categories of safety corrections that you can address first include the modifications that are easiest to make and the ones that are most essential for safety. This might include adding grab bars to tub areas or adding toilet seat risers. If you’re having trouble determining which projects are most critical, contact senior agencies in your area who can help you assess your space.

Figure out How to Merge Your Elderly Loved One’s Home with Yours

This is a complicated process for both you and your elderly family member, so it’s essential to make sure that you merge your homes. Doing so helps both of you to feel comfortable sharing this space with each other. You might even find that you and your elderly family member each need to make some concessions.

Take Time Away When Possible

Another key point to consider is that now with your elderly family member there in your home with you, you are able to respond quickly when she needs you. However, this can also mean that often you don’t feel as if you have the ability to take a break when you need one. As a family caregiver, this is incredibly important for you to address. Take breaks when you can so that you can recharge.

Even if you have to go through this process more quickly than you planned, remember to take time to check in with yourself and your senior on an emotional level.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional Elderly Care Services in Hunterdon NJ, please talk to the caring staff at Generations Home Health Care today. Providing Home Care in Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris and Hunterdon Counties. Call us today at (908) 290-0691 or (973) 241-4534.

Susan Myer, RN, BSN, CCRN, CDP