If you have a loved one who’s no longer able to care for themselves for one reason or another and they would still prefer to be cared for in their own home as opposed to moving into an assisted living facility, the best option might be for you to move into their home with them. And while all moves are going to have a lot of moving pieces to make everything come together, when you’re moving to offer care to someone else, there’s even more that you need to consider.
To help ensure that you’ve covered all of your bases with this, here are three tips for moving in with a loved one to care for them.
Come Up With A Plan Together
As soon as you and your loved one decide that having you move in with them and care for them is the best option, you should sit down together to come up with a plan for how this arrangement will work for both of you. This way, you can hopefully avoid a lot of issues that could crop up down the road.
As part of your plan, talk with your loved one about what tasks they can do and what tasks they’d like for you to take on. You should also discuss how things will work financially between the two of you and who will take on what financial responsibilities. You may also want to talk about how you’ll take time for yourselves, who else you can rely on for respite care, and more. With these guidelines and boundaries in place, you should have a solid foundation for starting off this care relationship.
Find Support And Help
When you’re discussing with your loved one about what respite care might be available to the both of you, you should also do some research about how you can get additional help and support for you as the caregiver.
If you’re caring for your loved one due to an injury, finding information about recovering from that injury from others who’ve experienced it can be invaluable. And if you’re offering care as a result of a medical diagnosis of a disease or illness, you can find support groups for other caregivers in your situation who can understand what you’re going through and offer you emotional support during challenging times.
Make Sure You’re Taking Care Of Yourself
As was mentioned above, it’s important for you as a caregiver to get a break from this hard work occasionally. Not only do you need to take a physical and mental break, but you also need to find ways to care for yourself even when you’re offering care to your loved one.
This can be done by setting boundaries for yourself and with your loved one, finding ways to do things that you enjoy amid your caregiving, maintaining your social life, and more.
If you’ll soon be moving in with your loved one to help care for them, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you make this a positive experience.
