If it doesn't seem like you're getting anywhere by talking to your parents alone, it's important that you do your best. Once you make the difficult decision that your aging parent who lives alone is no longer safe, you have a lot of options. First, you can coordinate with your parents' friends and family. Your parents may be able to move in with you or a sibling.
Friends can visit you when you're not available. If your parents can no longer take care of themselves, now is the time to talk about their living situation. It's often easier for an older adult to keep in touch with friends and family when they live at home. In the early stages of cognitive decline, it may be safe for a person to live alone if they receive support and take safety precautions. For example, home care allows the elderly to live independently in their own home and, at the same time, help with household chores, personal care, transportation, cooking, and a variety of therapies.
When you begin to consider approaching your parents' care with them, be sure to do so with an open mind. If you have any questions about how to help your parents age at home, don't hesitate to contact us to start the conversation. Even if you recognize the need for your parents to seek help or seek a settlement in addition to living alone, they may not realize their own need for long-term care. The question of how long you can leave an elderly person alone will be different for each person and for their particular situation. Even if you recognize that it's time for your parents to seek help, they may not be ready for the transition.
Whether a patient with dementia or Alzheimer's can live alone or not depends on the stage of the disease. In other cases, you may be interested in organizing home nursing or home health care, hiring a specialized medical professional to help your parents with rehabilitation, maintaining their medication regimen, and so on. It may be helpful to discuss the list with another family member or someone who knows your parents just as well. When older parents can't live alone and it's not possible to move in with their family, there are other options that can help your parents stay home if they want to.
