Making the decision to join an assisted living community is rarely easy. Most people highly value their independence and therefore may delay the transition to living in a community as long as possible. Additionally, many of us may fear the whole concept of moving our parents into such a community.

However, it is possible to wait too long. Additionally, it is often difficult to know when to join assisted living.  These signs will help you know when it's time for your loved one to join an assisted living community.

When to Join Assisted Living...

#1. Medical Needs are Requiring More Attention

Many senior adults start to develop more medical issues over time. As your loved one becomes less capable of fully caring for him or herself, the situation gets more challenging. For a while, you may be able to get by with home care provided by visiting nurses. However, as care is needed around the clock it is often overwhelming and too difficult to manage.

Dementia is a particularly difficult diagnosis that nearly always requires constant help. Often, it is far beyond the scope of what most families can provide. When your loved one needs more medical care than usual, moving to an assisted living community is often the solution.

#2. Activities of Daily Living are Difficult

The hallmark of being independent is being able to provide for one's own activities of daily living. Some of the daily living activities that are important to be able to perform include cooking, doing laundry, paying bills on time and maintaining personal hygiene.

When these activities become too difficult, it's a strong sign that your loved one may need more help on an ongoing basis and moving to an assisted living community would be a good choice.

#3. Limited Ability to Help

In earlier generations, families were able to take in their senior relatives and care for them. Many people today still feel like some subconscious pressure on themselves to provide that care for their own parents. But life today is far different than it was in those earlier days, and few people are able to provide that amount of care anymore. For one thing, previous generations often had one parent at home full-time, and many of today's families have two working adults.

Adults today are also working for many more years and postpone retirement far beyond what they once did. Additionally, families often live in completely different states. If the decision is a contentious one, a geriatric manager can resolve disputes about a loved one's care.

#4. The Family Home is Too Hard to Maintain

Most of us accumulate a lot of possessions over the years. Furthermore, if your loved one lives in the same house where you grew up, it used to accommodate a growing family. However, having a lot of belongings and a large home requires a lot of maintenance, which becomes increasingly difficult as we get older. Rightsizing means deciding which possessions are necessary and how much space we really need. Fewer possessions and a smaller space can help create a simpler life.

While it may be difficult to know when to join assisted living, these signs are clear. Is it time to move your loved one to assisted living?Senior Solutions offers a multitude of resources to make the transition easier for you and your loved one.

Contact us today with your questions about senior care and assisted living, or schedule a tour at one of our award-winning communities today.