How to Talk to Your Senior About Moving to an Assisted Living Facility

We engage in many awkward, if not difficult conversations during our lifetimes. One of the most awkward and difficult conversations involves discussing moving a senior loved one such as a parent into an assisted living facility. Although it is not an easy conversation to have with a senior loved one, handling it the right way can convince a senior loved one to move into a senior housing community in Everett, Washington to ensure safety, as well as get more out of life.

At the MorningStar assisted living facility in Everett, we help loved ones prepare for and conduct conversations with seniors to convince them that an assisted living facility is the right option.

How to Prepare for the Conversation

Holding a conversation with a senior loved one about a move into an assisted living facility is not something you should do on the spur of the moment. This type of conversation requires detailed planning, which starts by creating a list of your concerns for an aging loved one. You can bring up issues related to healthcare and safety, as well as address standard personal care tasks like cleaning and paying bills. You also should conduct extensive research about assisted living facilities to gain a much better understanding of the environment a senior loved one can expect to live in after leaving home. One of the most important preparation tips is to determine what factors a senior loved one considers to be the most important in a home environment.

Tips on How to Talk to Your Senior About Moving to an Assisted Living Facility

The timeless adage of “It’s not what you say, but how you say it” has special meaning when the time comes to talk to your senior about moving to an assisted living community in Everett, WA.

Be Proactive

You do not want to wait until a health crisis develops before talking to a senior loved one about moving to a senior housing facility in Everett. Be proactive and start the conversations years before your loved one retires or reaches an age when it is time for an assisted living arrangement. Addressing the delicate issue of relocation is much easier if you start planning years before your loved one reaches the golden years.

Interact in Person

Even if you live thousands of miles apart, discussing a move into an assisted living facility should be done in person, not over the phone or via email. Face-to-face discussions do a much better job of persuading a loved one to accept your point of view. You can conduct a video call initially, but to convince your senior loved one about the need to move into an assisted living facility in Everett, Washington, you have a much better chance of sealing the deal in person.

Listen

Your senior loved one might have several concerns about adapting to a new living arrangement. Do not minimize the impact of the concerns, but instead acknowledge them and ask additional questions to alleviate any stress and anxiety. This requires you to listen closely to what your senior loved one has to say. Dismissing concerns and/or talking over your loved one is a recipe to prolong or even end the conversations held about moving into an assisted living facility.

Visit Our Senior Housing in Everett, Washington

One of the most persuasive ways to convince a senior loved to move into an assisted living facility is to visit an assisted living community. At MorningStar at Silver Lake, we conduct daily tours to present potential new residents with a comprehensive view of our culture, amenities, and lifestyle options. Help your senior loved one make the right decision by scheduling a tour today at our assisted living community in Everett, WA.