As more and more children and grandchildren, as well as spouses, try to meet the needs and grant the wishes of their aging loved ones, it is important to realize that not all options will work for any given individual. While some residents will thrive in a skilled care nursing facility, there are others who simply will not enjoy any environment outside of their own home.
As options for aging at home continue to expand, however, it is important to remember that cost often plays a factor in whey decisions will need to be made. At a time when Baby Boomers are increasingly filling the percentages of people who are looking for care, it simply should not come as a surprise that there are more options for elder care than many times in the past. From Alzheimers units to other kinds of home like memory care options, to traditional nursing homes and skilled care nursing facilities, it is always important for families to make sure that they explore all of the available possibilities.
Preparing a House for Aging at Home Requires Careful Attention to Many Details
From painting concrete floors with polyurethane clear coats to avoid slick spots to redesigning front porches to be more accessible, there are many considerations that need to be made if you are going to help a parent or grandparent age at home. Creating a safe environment involves considerations about the kind of primer for painting to use as well as many other safety decisions. For many families, however, taking the time to use the right primer for painting a newly redesigned bathroom is a small task to complete when compared to knowing that a loved one can stay in space that makes them feel comfortable.
Unfortunately, studies show that levels of several organics average two to five times higher indoors than outdoors. When inhaled these chemicals can can contribute to several health problems, especially for those with compromised breathing conditions. There are, however, paints that are more friendly when it comes to toxins. In fact, according to a study by the Survey Research Institute at Cornell University, 59% of travelers indicate that travelers would choose one hotel over another based on availability of allergen-friendly rooms. Families can use these same air quality friendly products when they are preparing a home for a loved one.
Even if your family cannot afford some of the care options that are available outside of your home, it is important to visit a number of spaces so that you can look for commonalities and understand the kind of questions that you may need to ask yourself as you prepare a home for an aging loved one.
Most importantly, however, is the open discussions that families should have about the kind of care that your aging loved one wants. Waiting too long to have these discussions can be problematic and lead to very difficult decisions. And while it is rarely comfortable to talk about end of life decisions and the kind of care that will be needed if a loved one is no longer able to live alone, it is even less comfortable to have to make these decisions without knowing what a spouse, parent, or grandparent would have wanted.
Using the right primer for painting before redoing a home for easy cleaning is the kind of detail that comes with instruction. And making sure that you use non toxic paint as you prepare a renovated space for an aging parent is simply a matter of purchasing the right materials, but the conversations that come with this process is often far more difficult.
