Are you caring for a spouse, parent, friend, or loved one whose health is beginning to decline? Are you noticing that their lessened mobility or declining cognition requires more and more supervision? Are you trying to care for their needs while managing your own life and other family responsibilities at the same time?

The struggle to be there for an elderly loved one and still meet your own health, financial, and family needs is real.  You may have obligations and obstacles that do not allow you to be at home, assisting them continuously as their decline worsens and their needs increase. You may not be able to be home for the number of hours in a day they may require assistance.

Common challenges caregivers face include:

• Still needing to earn a living to run your personal household
• Availability to go to required doctor appointments
• Availability to help with transportation
• Availability to assist with exercises or coordinate physical therapy, occupational or speech therapy
• Providing physical help with bathing, dressing, and grooming tasks
• Providing meals in the home or monitoring eating habits
• Cleaning and maintaining the upkeep of your loved one’s home
• Inability to provide socialization at home or in the community
• Meeting additional family members’ needs that are demanding
• Caregiver stress – how is this affecting your health or mental health?

These challenges are just a few reasons it is difficult to manage care on your own in the home. These are also reasons people consider having a loved one’s needs met through an Assisted Living environment. Having the peace of mind that a loved one is living in a safe, friendly environment with more socialization and support may allow you to focus more on your relationship with the person. You may still want to take your loved one to their appointments. An Assisted Living environment can provide you with more flexibility to assist in the areas you feel most comfortable with that work within your other responsibilities.