A local NBC News affiliate recently kicked off a three-part series comparing aging resources ranging from in-home care to assisted living communities and nursing homes.
The first segment looks at a couple families in Indiana who have either opted to have their elderly parents move in with them, or have decided to go the assisted living route.
“Some families have the luxury of taking care of mom and dad in their homes or can help them stay in their own homes,” says WNDU.com. “For others, especially those who work, assisted living is the solution.”
One woman, Linda, was able to move her 91-year-old mother, who has Alzheimer’s and diabetes, into her home five years ago. Her mother could no longer live on her own, Linda says, and she’s able to care for her each day because she no longer works.
A South Bend, Indiana woman tried to keep her mom, Kathryn, living in her own home for as long as possible, but eventually had her move into an assisted living community.
“Mom lived by herself in a pretty large home near Notre Dame. She had stairs to go down to do laundry and go upstairs to take a bath or go to bed at night,” said Kathryn’s daughter, Diane Stewart, in the NBC news segment. “She found she couldn’t cook for herself safely, her health an interaction with peers was declining rapidly and eventually it was required that she needed 24/7 care.”
Kathryn moved into an assisted living community around a year and a half ago, where her health improved—as did her safety and well-being as she acclimated to her new surroundings.
Although many adult children feel guilt at moving their parents into a senior living community, perceptions are changing as the baby boomer generation influences the concept of assisted living, Joan Cuson of senior care resources non-profit REAL Services told WNDU.com.
Read more or watch the segment at WNDU.com.
Written by Alyssa Gerace
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