A memory care center provides cognitive engagement, improved quality of life and social opportunities for those who are suffering from dementia. However, many elders are extremely reluctant to relocate for various reasons, but below are some tips for discussing the transition with your loved ones.
Request Support from Other Family Members
Prior to approaching your parents, it is a good idea to gain support from either siblings or other family members. That way you’ll be in a stronger position to persuade your parents to relocate. If you try to convince them by yourself, it won’t carry as much weight, but with the backing of your siblings or other family members your parents are more likely to be convinced.
Emphasize the Benefits of Memory Care
When discussing the transition you want to avoid focusing on the move itself, which can be tedious and a hassle. Instead, you want to emphasize the benefits that your loved one will gain from memory care, such as the fine dining, comfortable lifestyle, socialization opportunities and all the fun activities they will get to engage in, such as golf, swimming, dancing and entertainment of all kinds. You should also point out that a memory care community will be able to provide much better personalized care than you can give them at home.
Encourage Your Loved Ones to Take a Community Tour
Many people confuse memory care communities with the retirement homes of twenty or thirty years ago, which were completely different. One way to highlight this difference is by encouraging your loved ones to take a community tour. This will give them the opportunity to see the area firsthand while meeting community caretakers and residents. Some memory care centers even offer a trial period where prospective residents can live on site for a certain period of time to see how they like it before committing to full time membership.
Get to the Root of Their Fears
In general, many retirees have similar concerns when it comes to relocation into a memory care community, but it is important to get to the root of their fear. For many, it is the fear of losing their autonomy and being told what to do by others. This is certainly understandable, as moving into a place where you will be ordered around by others after living independently for decades can be insufferable.
However, you can alleviate this fear by letting your parent know that you would never put them in a place where they would be miserable or treated poorly. Emphasize the fact that you’ve carefully assessed the community to ensure they will maintain their independence and that if they are unhappy leaving is always an option.
Another concern might be the fate of their existing residence. Many parents will not be okay with the family selling the property, so you’ll want to let them know that you’ll either keep the property and move into it yourself or you may need to rent it out to raise funds to cover their memory care costs.
