Will my grandmother's needs be met better in an assisted living facility?
It really does sound like your "cons" list of keeping your grandmother in your house is getting pretty long. Your hands are full even if you weren't a caregiver to her.
While I know there are, of course, emotional reasons for keeping your grandmother with you, let's talk about the serious set of them for moving her to a home where there is more care given.
By living in the basement, I'm sure she's having to navigate steps often. While it sounds like she can do them, hearing that she falls often really concerns me. A hip break at an elderly age comes with some lofty obstacles for recovery. If she's having stability issues now, they're only likely to get worse as she ages.
It also sounds like she needs supervision of her medication. Some meds are pretty tempermental and need to be taken in a certain order, at certain times of the day and specifically with our without food. If it's not possible for you to manage them, that's definitely another big case for assisted living.
On the emotional side, it sounds like your grandmother is yearing for more interaction. Do you think, perhaps, you could "sell" her the idea of moving into an assisted living with all of the activities that are available for her to do? It sounds like she's a spry gal who would appreciate some social outings.
While I'm absolutely no expert, you may want to start gathering information from local facilities. Reading and asking questions may help you make a decision as to whether or not it's time.
Best of luck to you!
