My wife and I spent this week-end moving her Mother into an assisted living complex. My father-in-law passed away over 10 years ago, and Mom is now 81.
Although she's "spry" she forgets her meds and tends to repeat herself.
My wife and her 2 sisters have been trying to get her to accept an assisted living option v.s. staying in her home for over 2 years.
Although she's fairly physical capable, the fact that she forgets her meds, and doesn't always eat has been a concern for the family.
I'd like to share with you a technique that my younger sister-in-law came up with, that finally convinced Mom to make the move.
From day one, she resented the idea that she couldn't take care of herself. Plus she kept saying "that her husband had paid off the house so that she would have a place to live until she died."
For those of you that have gone through this, you know that this logic is hard to fight.
My sister-in-law said to Mom, "Although Dad left this house for you, it's in need of major repair. Would you rather spend your money on much needed repairs to the house, or spend your social security and (his) military retirement on paying for a nice facility that will take good care of you?"
Even at 81, the dollar still means a lot.
If you have the same situation, we found that by actually taking Mom to see the facilities, had a bigger impact then just talking about it. Not only that, but the staff that works at these places know the right things to say and do.
Best of luck when it's your time.
(By the way, we're using a reverse mortgage to pay for the difference in expenses)
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