Moving into aged care is often a difficult subject to bring up with your elderly parent or loved one, particularly if they consider themselves to be independent or they have a strong sentimental attachment to the family home. At Seasons Aged Care, far too often we are contacted by adult children or a spouse in ‘crisis mode’ needing to find a place for their Mum, Dad, Husband or Wife ‘yesterday’. This begs the question, when is the right time to move into aged care?
In our experience, Elders who move into aged care whilst they are still somewhat independent or perhaps require minimal or low care tend to transition relatively smoothly. Usually the family has done all of the research. They’ve perhaps taken Mum or Dad to visit half a dozen aged care communities where they have weighed up the pros and cons and finally come to a joint decision, based on the factors that are important to them. The key message here is they had a ‘choice’. They were not thrown into disarray amidst a crisis and forced to choose the first bed available in a facility that perhaps doesn’t fit the desires or ideals of how they wish to live out their remaining years. When you look at it this way, it really does demonstrate why perhaps ‘now’ is the right time.
Generally speaking, there are signs that it is time to sit down with your Elder and have a real conversation about aged care. Particularly where the elder lives alone and no longer has a spouse looking out for them. Some common signs to look out for are:
If you are concerned about your Elder living alone, open up the conversation. Get the family together to support you in broaching the subject. Don’t be forceful, offer to ‘show them a few places’ without obligation so they are at least open to looking…get them through the door and you’ve won half the battle! Take the hard work out of it for them, make it enjoyable and stress free.
Seasons Aged Care has seven locations across Brisbane, Ipswich and the Sunshine Coast. We cater for residents who are independent, require low to high care, dementia care & end of life care. Seasons communities offer private 1 & 2 bedroom fully self contained residences with care and support on hand 24/7. Our communities are set amongst lush tropical gardens with inviting communal indoor and outdoor spaces. With a vast array of lifestyle activities and excursions on offer your loved one will never get bored, and is guaranteed to make new friends! Book a tour today on 1300 506 116.
We hope that one of the locations is a close match to your lifestyle needs. If you still have a query or would like to explore one of the locations in person, please book a time below.
