4 Important Benefits From Moving Senior Parents Closer to You

We’ve all endured a lot in the last year. If you were already thinking about moving your senior parents closer to you, the extended time apart, wide-ranging health concerns, and a renewed passion for our closest relationships might have you considering it more and more seriously. Here are four important benefits to moving aging parents closer.

1. Expand What You Give

If you’re a caregiver for an aging parent, it’s love that motivates you to do what you do – and the primary benefit you’ll get from moving your parents closer is that you’ll be able to shower them with more of that love. When our parents live across the country, we can still be engaged with them, and even communicate daily, but there are limitations on the help we can provide. Moving parents closer might allow you to help with activities of daily living, like meals and medication, and it will definitely put you in a better position to help if any hospitalizations or emergencies occur. You’ll also be able to monitor your parents’ health, to assess their care needs regularly, and to be an informed advocate for them in conversations with their care team.

2. Manage What You Give

As much we want to give more, moving aging parents closer might be just as much about not giving too much – and keeping the stress of caregiving at a manageable level for you. Whatever your plan for your aging parents, making sure your own physical and mental health are part of care conversations will be crucial to that plan working well for everyone. Caregiving is a huge job, and you’ll want to make things easier for yourself where you can. Moving parents closer means visiting will be easier, and you’ll spend less time in transit. You may also spend significantly less money, if you no longer need certain care services to support them or a travel budget to see them. Ultimately, moving your parents closer may help to reduce your own emotional and financial stress.

3. Simplify Their Lives

Of course, if we plan to move our parents closer, we want the move to make life better for them, too. A move that brings you all closer together may help to lessen some of their burdens. Reducing the physical distance between you will open up possibilities for connection and give them confidence that your support is nearby. If they’ve been living in a home that requires upkeep, a move can also be a great time to consider downsizing and freeing them from the responsibility of maintenance. Working with our parents through simplifying their lives, while always showing respect for their independence and dignity, brings benefits for everyone.

4. Plan Proactively

As part of a proactive plan for care, moving parents closer can be a great way to prepare for the road ahead. While it can be hard to open up care conversations with our parents, planning helps to set realistic expectations for everyone, and it can help you and your parents to navigate any scenario that may come up in the future. A move will naturally open up some important questions to consider, such as:

• What’s the health of their finances? How will they be affected by the move?
• What health care options do they need now? What help might they need in the future?
• What senior living communities are available? What care options do they offer?

If you’re considering senior living communities for your parents, Ebenezer offers a full range of living options to make sure you’ll find the perfect level of care, and if you’re looking for more caregiver tips and resources, you can always visit the Ebenezer blog.