If your elderly family member has told you that she wants to stay where she is, that means that she’s planning to age in place. This is entirely possible, but your elderly family member needs a support system in order to do so successfully.
Here are some of the reasons she might want to stay put…
It’s a Familiar Place
This is a particularly important reason if your elderly family member has lived in her home for a long time. She may not want to live somewhere else or learn a new neighborhood. This is where she’s comfortable and this is where she wants to stay.
She Has Routines
Everyone’s life has a certain ebb and flow. In her current living situation, your elderly family member relies on the routines that she has built up over years in order to keep her life running like a top. Changing her living arrangements means that those routines will change, too, and she may not want that at all.
She Can Modify the Environment
Your elderly family member may already have some ideas about what needs to happen in her home to help her the most. She might want to install a ramp or even handrails throughout the house. Changing door knobs from knobs to levers can help her if she has arthritis. Modifying the house is a lot different than moving somewhere else.
She Wants to Keep Her Independence
Independence can become even more important to your senior as her health starts to change. She doesn’t want to give up her dignity or allow other people to tell her what to do. You might tell her that she doesn’t have to worry about that, but it doesn’t mean she’ll believe you right away.
She Doesn’t Want to Be a Burden
In addition to wanting to maintain her independence for as long as possible, your senior may want to avoid burdening you and other people. Even if you reassure her that she’s not a burden, she can still feel as if her needs are demanding on you and on other family members. Staying in her own home can help to alleviate that feeling to an extent.
Aging in place is definitely a possibility for most senior family members. Your elderly family member may only need a little bit of extra help, from both you and from elder care providers. Once she realizes that this doesn’t mean that everyone else is going to dictate her life to her, she may be a little happier about having some help.
If you or an aging loved one is considering hiring Home Care in Del Cerro, CA, or the surrounding area, please contact the caring staff at Love 2 Live Care. Call Today 1-619-291-4663
