3 Things To Consider When Planning To Take Your Disabled Parent In

Now that you have decided to move your disabled parent into your household, it's important to start making plans to ensure that everything goes smoothly and stress is limited for everyone involved. Here are three important things to consider when planning a move-in for your parent:

Household Access

One of the most important things to consider before bringing your disabled parent home is their access to everything in the household that they'll need. If you have multiple stories, consider having a stair lift installed for easy access to the upstairs. If you usually keep food on high shelves in the kitchen, move it to lower shelves or put it in tubs under the counters.

Take a walk around the house and imagine yourself as your parent to determine what needs to be adjusted for their safety and convenience. It's also important to make sure that all areas of the house your parent will have access to can be safely navigated. You can do this by placing thick rugs or slip-free runners on the ground for extra traction.

Personal Privacy

Everyone in your household needs their personal privacy, which may feel a bit threatened until your family gets used to your parent's arrival. To make acclimation easier on the entire family, make sure that each person has their own private space to retreat to when they want some privacy at home. If you have kids who share a room, designate the family room or home office as their private space when the household starts feeling too crowded until your parent settles in.

Make sure that everyone knows they should never enter your parent's room or any other space that has been designated as private space for a family member. The idea is to make sure that each person has a quiet space to relax as the family gets used to having another person around full time who needs special care and attention.

Respite Care

It's essential to think about respite care before bringing your parent home to live with you. You never know when a family emergency may arise when nobody will be there to look after your parent for an extended period of time, and chances are that you'll want to take vacations away from home without having to worry about your parent's well-being.

So take the time to find a reliable respite healthcare provider to work with that is willing to come to your home and provide care when you won't be there to do it yourself. Set your parent up as a client with the company you choose to hire before they move in so there isn't a ton of paperwork to fill out when you choose to use their services or find yourself facing an emergency of some kind.

With these considerations in mind, the process of moving your disabled parent into your home should be a little less stressful and a bit more convenient.