There comes a time when your parents, or grandparents in my case, aren’t able to live on there own. It just isn’t safe to be by themselves or they should live somewhere they can get immediate help and assistance if they need it.
It was time for my grandmother Madeline to sell her home and go into assisted living. That meant giving up a lot of control on her part, not to mention years of accumulated stuff. Her home was always very nice and neat, but in the bedrooms, closets and garage the bags of stuff almost took over.
It took over 2 weeks and a lot of family members going through everything to decide what she needed to take with her, what to split between family, and what to trash or donate. It was an exhausting task.
Now, the space in which she lives has what they call a kitchenette the length of a yard stick and the living area and bedroom are partitioned with a pony wall. We had to place her bed next to the kitchenette because it would be closer to the bathroom.
We made it look as homey and funtional as we could with some mismatched furniture. Thankfully the sofa coordinates well with the paint colors and the window treatments in the room so it looks like it belongs.
Grandmom is one of eight children with one brother still living at 98. She is going to be 94 in September. No one will be surprised when she lives to be 100.
If you can relate to any part of my experience, or know that this is something you will have to do for your parent or grandparent, check out www.50andbeyond.com. It has a wealth of information that will help similar situations and more.
50andbeyond.com is an online resource for the baby boomers and the aging adult populations.
You can also visit them on facebook.
