The Stages of Aging

These days, you’ve noticed that you’re moving through new stages that come with aging. There are the “Your Parents Need Help but Don’t Think They Need Help” stage, the “Your Parents Need Some Help” stage, and then the “Your Parents Need Daily Help” stage.

Of course, all families would love to stay in the stages where their parents get the help they need at home. But there will come a time when your parents need daily help — possibly even daily medical help or full-time help. This is often a turning point for families who wanted to stay at home.

So What Now?

This isn’t a linear path. Your parents may experience all of these stages or may skip some stages altogether. Change can be sudden or gradual — but it is inevitable.

So how do you know when it’s time to start considering making the move into assisted living? It depends on a lot of things, including how well your loved one is faring in their current home, their present health status, and their future medical and personal needs. The answer isn’t going to be the same for everybody, but there are signs you can watch for.