That dilemma has created heartfelt conversations among family members that are trying to decide what environment is best for their loved one. Having been in the senior industry for over 20 years and a Certified Senior Advisor, I will share with you my professional opinions and observations of the pros and cons of living with family or moving to assisted living. I hope my insights will help you if find yourself facing this dilemma.
The pros in assisted living are: 24/7 oversight and care, many socialization opportunities with residents and staff, and having meals and activities with other residents, to name a few.
The cons in assisted living are: the cost of assisted living can be expensive and can quickly drain a person’s nest egg, now with the Covid-19 virus, restrictions can be put in place to protect the residents, but would restrict activities and socialization and lastly, a larger congregate environment may not be comfortable if the senior is not a social person.
The pros in living with family are: your loved one remains part of the family unit and observes and participates as much as they can, the senior will save money as long as they don’t need additional services, thus stretching their nest egg, and lastly the senior is not on a schedule as they might be if they were in assisted living.
The cons in living with family are: if family members have to work, the senior is left home alone, which can be a safety issue and can make the senior feel lonely, family members may be overwhelmed with the time it takes to provide personal oversight to make sure their loved one stays safe in the home, and lastly, family members may not be able to travel or leave the home for long periods of time because they must care for their loved one.