What Happen When You Have Two Parents With Different Needs That Want To Stay Together Somewhere?
This is a situation that happens quite often. There are a variety of ways to approach a situation like this, and they all depend on what the needs are of the couple. If both people have similar needs then choosing the appropriate type of facility is somewhat easier. One can just choose an assisted living facility that can address both their needs. One might choose an assisted living with minimal services or one that handles greater needs like assistance with several daily living activities. It becomes more difficult when mom is doing pretty well but dad has the beginning stages of Alzheimers or vice versa. In a case like this it would be important to find a facility that has a memory care program as well as an assisted living area. This way maybe mom and dad could start off living together. Then if dad’s condition were to progress and he needed to move to memory care, he could stay in the same building but just move to a different living space. Theoretically the couple could still see each other whenever they want. There are many senior living companies that offer both of these service types in the same building to allow for continuity of care. It is always important to think ahead when choosing a facility. You want to minimize having to move seniors to a new facility as care needs change. Sometimes the needs of each parent are so different that finding a way to stay together in the same facility becomes more difficult. In this case one option might be to have an in home healthcare aid so that all needs can be met for both people. However, this can get very costly, especially if one of the people has memory issues. When you are researching facilities make sure to look at the different types of living the facility offers. You will notice that many facilities have memory care programs, and some only offer minimal assisted living services. Keeping parents together is possible but can pose some challenges if the physical and mental needs differ.
