Discussing Senior Living with Your Loved Ones
While you may know it is time for the senior(s) in your life to make the move into a senior living community, it may be difficult to figure out how to start the conversation.
Having a discussion about senior living with your loved ones may seem challenging, but it is a very important conversation to have.
Below is some guidance for starting and having a conversation about senior living with your loved ones:
Research
- Learn about why senior living is important
- Educate yourself on senior living options
- Research what senior living communities exist in your or your loved one’s local or preferred area
Prepare Your Approach
Try to plan out what you want to say and how you will say it. It is important to go into the conversation with a clear plan and a calm tone.
Create a list of concerns, a list of benefits of senior living, etc. Explaining your thoughts with concrete examples and information will be beneficial to how the conversation goes.
You are speaking out of a place of love and concern when bringing up this subject to a loved one, so make sure you are conveying that. Be sure to focus on empathy rather than sympathy- show that you care about them and you want to understand what they are feeling and going through.
Listen
You are likely approaching this conversation with plenty of preparation and previous thought, while your senior loved one(s) may be surprised by the conversation. Once you are able to voice your concerns, be sure to give them a chance to voice their concerns. This decision will affect their life the most, so they deserve a chance to be heard.
Be Patient
The first step was starting the conversation. Now that you have, your senior loved one(s) has a lot to process. Deciding to move to a senior living community is an important decision, so remember to be patient while waiting for them to make their decision.
