It is never easy to face the idea that you can no longer care for your elderly parent alone. As difficult as it is for you, it is just as hard, or even harder, for your loved one. Making the transition to a nursing facility can be a truly emotional experience for everyone involved, no matter how great the place may be or what they have to offer. If you are designated as the responsible party for making the best healthcare decisions, you have a major burden on your shoulders when it comes to making sure your parent transitions smoothly into a nursing home. There are three simple things you can do that can help.

Make your Loved One Aware of the Change

Placing a parent in a nursing home is often such a difficult decision that adult children have a hard time approaching the subject at all. It is not uncommon to leave off talking for so long that some elderly patients are admitted without full knowledge of what is going on. It is best to make sure that you talk openly with your elderly parent about being placed in a nursing home. Make sure that when the topic is brought up, you do your best to make them feel like this is not their fault. Accept the responsibility by explaining that it is you who cannot handle the current situation and try to emphasize the fact that your parent will be a part of the decision making process.

Allow your Parent to Choose Personal Belongings

Most nursing homes and assisted care facilities will allow patients to bring along with them certain things from home. This can include certain furniture, such as a favorite chair or dresser, decor, or other personal effects, like family photos or keepsakes.  If at all possible, make your parent a part of the decision making process when it comes to what is taken to the facility with them. This can help them feel more at home when they arrive and less frustrated about leaving everything familiar behind.

Keep a Positive Attitude

Elderly parents will often mirror the emotions of their caregivers, especially when the caregiver is also their child. It is vital that regardless of how you are feeling about the nursing home transition, that you try to convey a positive attitude throughout the process. Try to offer consistent encouragement and reminders of positive attributes that will come along with around the clock care. Avoid allowing your emotions to overwhelm you because this will definitely provoke an emotional response from your parent.

By following these three steps when you have to place your loved one in a nursing home, you will see that the transition can be accomplished with less stress and resistance. This situation is never easy, but can go smoothly by making sure that careful consideration is always a part of the process.

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