Parents Living With You: How to live with your aging parent and still maint...

Parents Living With You: How to live with your aging parent and still maint...: How to live with your aging parent and still maintain your life and sanity.  Many of us baby boomers will be faced with the prospect of taki...

What a gift it can be to everyone in the household if you are able to create some personal space for your parent or parents,  a space which belongs only to them. Possibly you could mingle in some of their furniture such as their favorite chair or a favorite lamp.  This space with other added familiar things can offer them that cozy feeling of being at home.  This will give them a place where they can choose to read a book, take a nap or simply relax, but the pleasure of deciding for themselves is priceless.  This doesn't mean that they are not welcome to join the rest of the family, but now they can do so as they wish.  Your parent will be much more comfortable with knowing they have options. They can have quiet time should they be so inclined or they can join the busyness of the household.

The greatest gift being given here is offering your parent some personal independence which is sometimes lost with moving into someone else's home.  Something as simple as picking a comfortable spot to do whatever we want to, when we want to, is something we can easily take for granted when we are in our own home.  Your parent will be very happy knowing that in their new home they still have the option to make choices for themselves. 

How to live with your aging parent and still maintain your life and sanity.  Many of us baby boomers will be faced with the prospect of taking our parents in to live with us. There are so many things to take into consideration. Of course, your first thought is how this will change my life and my household. It will without a doubt, but with some consideration as to how changing and scary this may be for your parent or parents, you may be able to work through it all.

First things to think about:  Where will they sleep?  What bathroom will they use?  Are they able to utilize the bathroom the way it is, or will it need modifications?  Furniture, are you using theirs or furnishing it for them?  Will theirs fit in your home?

So now back to remembering how scary this is for your parents. It is so beneficial to help them retain personal things that matter to them and making space for those items makes such a difference in the relocating process.