How Do I Convince My Elderly Parents to Move to a Senior Care Center

By 2025, the number of adults aged over 65 is expected to increase from the current 46 million to almost 90 million. With an aging population, more resources have become available to help those take care of their elderly parents.

If your aging parents aren’t safe in their home and you can’t always care for them, you aren’t alone. Luckily, there are senior assisted living facilities that combine care with community.

Getting aging parents to move to a senior care center isn’t always easy. Keep reading to learn what to do.

Discuss Ahead of Time

Along with your elderly parents, you should discuss the matter of moving to a senior care center with other family members. Anyone who might add tension or disagree with the conversation will appreciate a heads up.

During the conversation, you don’t want your aging parents to feel pushed into something they don’t want to do. Discussing things ahead of time is important because these conversations can take weeks or even months.

Listen to Your Elderly Parents

Aging adults don’t often take the conversation of going to an assisted living home well. To make things easier on them, it is essential to listen to their feelings. Hearing them out instead of pushing an agenda will help build trust.

This is a good moment to give them control over the conversation. Instead of telling them what to do as they age, ask them how they think the problem can be solved. Give them choices by understanding their priorities.

Explain the Benefits

Assisted living has grown in recent years to be more than a place where seniors are cared for by aides. A great facility offers a community experience where elders can still enjoy life.

Not only do these communities help with peace of mind and independence, but they can also improve the quality of life for your elderly parents.

Refer back to the pain points you might have noted during various conversations. Do your parents feel lonely? Is the housework becoming overwhelming?

These points can help start the conversation that goes into explaining the benefits.

Search and Visit Facilities Together

The easiest way to find the top facilities is by searching, “assisted living facilities near me.” When you complete the research portion together, your elderly parents might feel more comfortable talking about it.

Scheduling a few tours is the next step, but don’t rush your loved one into it. Let them know that visiting a facility doesn’t mean they have to commit to anything.

During the visit, you can encourage them to participate in some classes or simply have lunch in the dining hall. Getting a good idea of what goes on in a community is key to the moving process.

Are Your Parents Ready to Move?

Chances are, your elderly parents aren’t ready to move out of their homes and age in place elsewhere. This is why guides like this exist.

With these few tips, you can understand what to do to start a conversation, set priorities, and show that you still care. The most important thing to keep in mind is that everyone moves at their own pace, don’t rush it.

For more articles like this one, check out the other posts on our blog.