All That You Could Do

Sometimes as a family member of an elderly person you know that you’ve done all you could do to care for them, but that it’s not enough. At that time you realize they need more help than you can provide. Don’t feel guilty or punish yourself, because it can be incredibly difficult to care for an elderly person with illnesses, medical conditions and/or dementia. The average person is not trained to care for those needs. This is probably the time to consider finding assisted living or nursing home care at a good facility. Make sure you go and visit the facility and check ratings online before deciding on a facility. You will also need to provide verification of identity for the elderly person, through a birth certificate and/or passport. Local senior services will also need to do an intake evaluation before admitting. This process could take a long time, depending on the availability of rooms at the facility, so it’s best to plan ahead for this and try to get them on the waiting list as soon as possible.

My Aunt is 87 years old and has dementia and physical limitations. She’s currently living in a senior residence building where she has lived for over 20 years. Although she has managed with the help of Visiting Angels homecare providers that came once a week and me taking her shopping and doing her checkbook; her limitations are now more severe and she needs help with basic tasks on a daily basis. She was on a waiting list for an assisted living center for about one year. We were told last week that a room is available and she can move in within 2 – 4 weeks. I know she will miss her friends at the senior residence building, but I know she’ll make new friends at the assisted living center, because she is a friendly and outgoing person!