Caring, supporting, and loving our parents comes naturally, especially as they start to age and slow down. However, there might come a time its not viable for them to keep living on their own. If or when the time comes, you are forced, together with your parent, to discuss alternative living options, then continue reading.

Here are the main options that you should consider for your elderly parent who can no longer live independently.

Moving in With You

You may well be one of those people who could not imagine being with your elderly parent every single day, and if so, you may be considering moving them into your own home.

Remember, this will also come with a host of other responsibilities, especially if your mom or dad has issues with their memory and/or their mobility, so it is therefore exceedingly important to never take this kind of decision lightly.

Independent Living Communities

If, conversely, your elderly parent is entirely independent in terms of their day-to-day ablutions, chores, and medication management, then choosing an independent living community may well be their next move.

Essentially, independent living communities are similar to personal and private homes and are suited to active older adults who require no medical support on a regular basis. Residents either buy or rent an apartment, mobile home, or entire house from the community; the only difference is that utility bills are paid for.

Care Homes

Another option for your parent, especially if they require a certain level of medical care on a weekly or more frequent basis, is to consider the possibility of moving to a beautifully presented and exceedingly well-maintained care home, such as valeviewheights.com.

Things to consider when looking for a potential care home include the following, to name just a:

• Well-maintained grounds and buildings

• An active and varied social calendar for residents

• Clean and fresh rooms

• Meals that are carefully planned to suit older adults

• Pleasant surroundings and views

• Outdoor space and gardens

• Accessibility throughout

• Access to medical professionals and medical care

Assisted Living Facilities

The fourth most common next stage for older adults and the elderly to move to if they feel unable to continue living independently in their own homes is to go to an assisted living facility.

Whereas care homes tend to offer more specialized care and medical attention, and independent living communities are much freer and lacking in such specialized care, assisted living facilities are essentially something of an excellent proverbial middle-man.

Assisted living facilities are housing designed and developed for those who have moved from their private home and require specific and individual levels of care, supervision, and medical attention. The essence of an assisted living community is to provide the residents with as much independence and free reign as humanly possible for as long as possible. If or indeed, when a resident starts to decline in terms of their mobility and cognitive ability, they can elect to stay in the same facility but move to another building within.