If your senior is thinking about moving to a new location, there are some big factors for you and her to consider. These are just some of the main ones to keep in mind as you and she look. Even if she doesn’t decide to move in the end, these are considerations you can apply to her current situation, too.
Where the New Home Is Located
The location of the new place is probably the first thing you’ll both talk about. Ideally, it should be near other family members or friends as well as other places she frequents. You might look at where she spends the majority of her time when she’s out of her home and go from there. If she’s far away from the places and the services that she needs the most, that can make her life more difficult than it has to be.
Whether There Are Maintenance Concerns
One of the biggest concerns for your senior in a new place to live is likely going to be what types of maintenance concerns she’ll have to manage. Exterior maintenance, like lawn care, is something that is helpful to outsource. If your senior is able to have someone else handle other types of maintenance, like repairs or changing filters, that can be helpful, too.
How Safe it Seems
When she goes to the neighborhood and spends time there, does she feel safe in general? How about in the prospective new home? It’s really important that she feels secure. This is true on multiple levels. There’s the neighborhood safety, which is something you can’t change on your own, and then there’s physical safety in the home. Handrails are an excellent example, because they can help your elderly family member to keep her balance.
It Might Also Be Good to Bring in Extra Help
Something else to consider is that it might be time to consider hiring home care providers to help your senior with a variety of tasks. If she’s able to outsource maintenance and repairs, then having someone to help with household chores, meal preparation, and other tasks can be even more help to her. This can be a way to help you to feel more comfortable with the changes she’s going to experience, too.
Lots of aging adults feel that their current homes are too big or too difficult to maintain. That’s a big reason for many to consider moving and could be behind your senior’s desire to find a new home.
