Parkinson’s disease doesn’t just affect the person diagnosed with it. It can affect family and friends. While researchers continue to struggle to find a cure, there are some treatment options that can help temper the symptoms, but it is a progressive disease, which means it is going to become much tougher for loved ones to provide the support necessary as they age. That’s where assisted living comes into play.

This April is National Parkinson’s Awareness Month and for those family members who have been supporting this individual, probably for many years, you likely understand why a break is needed every once in a while. It’s not that you don’t care or are giving up, but everyone has their limits.

This is one of the key issues too many family caregivers face when supporting an aging loved one: they don’t set their limits. Or they continue to press beyond them. Some assisted living communities offer respite care services, not just for the seniors, but their loved ones who have been supporting them a long time.

 

Imagine no longer having to worry about this senior at night.

You might be an adult child supporting this person. It might your mother or father, and you’ve been doing this a long time. However, for many years you have returned home to your own family and may have worried about what might be happening during those overnight hours.

Every morning, for the most part, you’ve breathed a sigh of relief when you’re able to reach that parent in the morning. As the symptoms of Parkinson’s increase, though, your worries also increase.

Imagine being able to drop your mother or father off at a local assisted living facility, a great elder care option to consider, in the evening where they can be looked after and supported by experienced staff members, be helped into bed, and wake up feeling refreshed and ready for you to pick them up to return home.

 

Imagine a week of direct support outside your control.

Maybe you’ve wanted to plan a vacation for years, but either had to include your mother or father in those plans or kept delaying them because of some issue that always seemed to come up.

Assisted living doesn’t have to be a full-time, permanent elder care choice, not with a great facility. Some offer the option for seniors to come and stay with them for a week or two, giving that family support system some time away, some separation, and a chance to destress.

 

Imagine just a couple of days each week at assisted living.

Some quality assisted living facilities may even provide respite care for one, two, three, or even four days a week, every week. They don’t necessarily have to be all in a row. They could be every other day, a couple of days on and a couple of days off.

This could be a great option for those family caregivers whose schedules make it more challenging to be the optimal support this senior needs as the symptoms grow more pronounced.

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