If Your 80-Year-Old Mom Is Worried About Her Safety, Could Respite Care at Assisted Living Help?

Your mother is 80 years old. She’s feeling every bit of those 80 years, especially lately. Perhaps she has been dealing with arthritis for a number of years. Maybe she had a health emergency or spent some time in a hospital recently.

Whatever the case may be, you might be wondering if assisted living would be the better option for her going forward. Perhaps you’ve talked about it with her in the past, but she wasn’t enthusiastic about it. After all, in her view, she had a home, it was paid for, and she was content.

Now, though, she’s getting worried about her safety. She may call on you for help whenever you can, but with your busy schedule, maybe you don’t live right down the street from her, it’s not practical. You’ve turned to her neighbors and some friends, but they are limited in what they can do.

Since your mother is worried about her safety, you are, too. That’s why assisted living may be a topic you’re considering once again. Yet, at the same time, you don’t want her thinking the wrong things.

Respite care could be an option for her, depending on availability and what an assisted living community in her area offers. Not all assisted living communities will offer respite care options, so you should reach out and connect with some in the area and find out what they provide.

Respite care involves short-term stays. It could include overnight, a few days a week, a couple of weeks at a time, or maybe one or two months. Why would respite care be a great option for her at this stage?

 

Overnight stays can keep her safe.

While she’s at home, she may be alone. If her arthritis is flaring up, her legs don’t feel as strong one day, and safety can be compromised. Quickly.

At a quality assisted living community, she can be surrounded by experienced staff members who would be able to assist her if she called out for help. Calling for help may be as easy as pressing a button. So, she could be struggling to get out of bed in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and call for help instead of trying to make it on her own and hoping for the best.

 

It can be less worry for you.

Even though you have plenty of things going on in your life, you worry about her. You wish you could do more. If you knew she was staying at an assisted living community, even for just the overnight hours, you might sleep more soundly, and get the rest you need to make it through your days.

 

It can be a wonderful introduction to assisted living.

When your mother takes advantage of respite care options, even if it’s only for a short duration, she could actually see what assisted living is about firsthand. There are many misconceptions about this elder care option, and taking advantage of respite care can dispel all of them.

If you or an aging loved one is considering a move to Assisted Living in North Scottsdale, AZ please contact the caring staff at MD Senior Living today. 480-267-9200