Listen carefully to your parents' goals and preferences.
Keeping your parents engaged and occupied as they age will be important for their happiness. Asking the right questions now can help you find the kind of environment that will enhance their well-being. Be patient with your parents and allow them to contemplate their goals and desires. Their answers should guide your housing search.
Question | Answer | Follow-up | Done |
What social activities or hobbies do you most enjoy? | Make a list to use when assessing facilities | ||
What is most important to you in a home? (Would you rather have lots of company around or maintain as much privacy as possible? Do you wish to be within walking distance of shops? Does a busy, activity-driven facility appeal to you or a serene, quiet place?) | Make a list to use when assessing facilities. | ||
What do you hope to accomplish in the years ahead? (Spend time with grandchildren? Volunteer? Learn new skills?) | Make a list to use when assessing facilities. |
Assess Your Options
Keep this worksheet and all of the backup documentation you gather in one place. You'll be referring to it a lot as you research housing options. Use what you've learned about your parents' wishes and their financial and medical limitations to narrow your list of choices. Help with this process may be available at your local Area Agency on Aging.
I suggest starting with a search using www.YourCity.MD by putting in your zip code then picking one of the cities to get all the local information about senior living facilities available to the public. The reports are all free. The facilities in each city are rated and after you search for any facility you can click on it to see which are best for your family. Thisd is a great site to find out the information you seek.