How to Help Your Senior Parent Consider Assisted Living When it comes to assisted living for aging parents, people have different feelings on the subject. No matter where your opinion lies, discussing assisted living with your parents can be a difficult prospect. Below, we've put together some advice on how to begin the conversation, and how to help make it a fulfilling one Talk Before It's Needed It can often take time to understand the idea of assisted living. Planting the seed of the idea with your parents-and giving it time to blossom is often a far more effective approach than approaching the conversation after you've already deemed assisted living necessary Listen Just the idea of moving can be enough to cause anxiety. Try not to be frustrated if your parent begins with a tone of fear, or resistance, or even anger. Instead, try to really hear their fears, and to acknowledge, understand, and talk through them. Visit and Meet Other Residents The best thing you can do, for both yourself and your parent, is to visit an actual assisted living community. Even better, ask around to see if you know anyone with family in a senior living community, and ask if you could come by to visit them Make a Plan Together Make the search for assisted living something you do together. And again, doing this search before it's necessary will go a long way. It can be easier to look at places without the pressure of an impending move Highlight the Benefits Free from the concerns of cooking and cleaning, seniors in assisted living actually have time to enjoy themselves. It's why assd ing communities have such robust activity calendars, and why seniors find themselves happier and with more energy after moving in. Lexington Square Two Locations: Elmhurst & Lombard 630-528-2269 www.lexingtonsquares.com How to Help Your Senior Parent Consider Assisted Living When it comes to assisted living for aging parents, people have different feelings on the subject. No matter where your opinion lies, discussing assisted living with your parents can be a difficult prospect. Below, we've put together some advice on how to begin the conversation, and how to help make it a fulfilling one Talk Before It's Needed It can often take time to understand the idea of assisted living. Planting the seed of the idea with your parents-and giving it time to blossom is often a far more effective approach than approaching the conversation after you've already deemed assisted living necessary Listen Just the idea of moving can be enough to cause anxiety. Try not to be frustrated if your parent begins with a tone of fear, or resistance, or even anger. Instead, try to really hear their fears, and to acknowledge, understand, and talk through them. Visit and Meet Other Residents The best thing you can do, for both yourself and your parent, is to visit an actual assisted living community. Even better, ask around to see if you know anyone with family in a senior living community, and ask if you could come by to visit them Make a Plan Together Make the search for assisted living something you do together. And again, doing this search before it's necessary will go a long way. It can be easier to look at places without the pressure of an impending move Highlight the Benefits Free from the concerns of cooking and cleaning, seniors in assisted living actually have time to enjoy themselves. It's why assd ing communities have such robust activity calendars, and why seniors find themselves happier and with more energy after moving in. Lexington Square Two Locations: Elmhurst & Lombard 630-528-2269 www.lexingtonsquares.com