It’s easy to think of residential care in negative terms – a sort of worst-case scenario for those who struggle to live by themselves. However, that association could be damaging for them, as often residential care might put these people in a position where they’re able to live much happier lives. Nobody likes the idea of having to move out of their home, but when it’s something that could be experientially positive for their life, they might view it differently – even if it feels cliche and unfair to simply wave it away as ‘it’s for their own good’.
So, looking over the benefits might help you to adopt an improved attitude towards the system as a whole.
The Care They Need
For those who assume the role of caregiver in these situations, there can be a certain guilt that’s associated with moving your loved one into a care home. It almost feels as though you’re ‘abandoning’ your responsibility but that often isn’t the case, though this can be exacerbated through the difficulty that individuals experience with this transition. Many care homes are much more equipped to provide prospective residents with the kind of care that they actually need. This is especially true if they struggle with things like dementia, in which case options like the Baily House Care Home might be able to offer what’s needed through an experience with residents suffering from that condition. This can ultimately mean that this decision makes more sense than the more damaging alternative of doing nothing.
Living Alone
For many people who are thinking about moving into residential care homes, they might currently be in a situation where they’re living alone. This might not sound like anything, especially negative, at first. Still, when they do struggle with aforementioned conditions like dementia, this can create a situation that puts them at risk of harming themselves. This can, in turn, create a situation where you or other loved ones have to be present much more regularly.
On a less severe note, residential care is also able to place people in this situation in an environment that is much more social. This can be a positive shift that makes them happier and more open to social activity than they might have been up to this point.
Your Own Involvement
Just because your loved one has moved into residential care, that doesn’t mean that you’re removed from the situation entirely. Not only might you be involved with overseeing their happiness, financial matters and helping them to move in on the day, but you’ll likely also want to visit them regularly. However, unlike how you might be approaching this situation when they do live alone, you might not feel as though having them live in residential care requires you to split your attention so markedly between aspects of your life. If you’re free to focus more on your own life, you might find that you’re more rested and ultimately in a better position to help out with their needs when it’s necessary.
