When a parent needs help with care or managing the day to day responsibilities of owning a home, it might be tempting to hire a home care agency. But, assisted living might actually offer an environment that promotes more independence than family home. While it’s certainly not an easy choice, here are some considerations to keep in mind. What are Instrumental Activities of Daily Living? One consideration when deciding on home care or assisted living is by looking at Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs). IADLs are key life activities that people manage in order to live at home and be fully independent. They require critical thinking and organizational skills to accomplish. When a parent begins experiencing changes from aging, simply taking on the responsibilities they can no longer handle on their own can actually create frustration or leave your parent feeling like they are “losing control”. Here are the 6 most common Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, as well as some key information about assisted living communities that you might not know.

1. Deciding Between Home
Care or Assisted Living:
Instrumental Activities
of Daily Living

2. Managing Personal
Finances
• Do bills go unopened or are they paid
late?
• Does your loved one have difficulty
balancing a checkbook?

3. Assisted living communities can alleviate
the burden of having multiple bills to pay
by combining rent, utilities, and payment
for supportive and care services into one
monthly bill.

4. Managing Medications
• Are medications taken at the right time?
• Are the right doses being taken?

5. Medication management is a common service
offered in assisted living communities, and it
alleviates any question that your loved one is
receiving the right medications at the right
dose at the right time.

6. Using the Phone
• Can your loved one use the phone to call
in case of an emergency?
• Does your loved one leave the house
less frequently and call you considerably
more often than they used to?

7. Assisted living communities offer 24-hour
response systems for emergencies or resident
concerns as well as a variety of social
activities to prevent loneliness or isolation.

8. Shopping for Food or
Clothing
• Does your parent avoid driving or no
longer drive?
• Is shopping or checking out
overwhelming for your loved one?

9. Although you might feel inclined to help
your parent run errands, shopping is often
a basic responsibility that reaffirms our
independence. Taking on this task can leave
your parent feeling like they are losing control
over basic day-to-day responsibilities. Many
assisted living communities offer regularly
scheduled trips to stores residents used to
frequent on their own.

10. Housework
• Does your parent have difficulty cleaning
the kitchen after a meal?
• Are they keeping up with home
maintenance responsibilities?
• Have you noticed a change in the
standard of cleanliness they once had?

11. Assisted living communities alleviate
the responsibility of managing home
maintenance and often include some variety
of housekeeping services.

12. Meal Preparation
• Does your parent cook less and snack
more?
• Has your parent experienced noticeable
weight loss or weight gain?
• Have you noticed a change in the
standard of cleanliness they once had?

13. Although residents can still enjoy baking with
the grandkids or preparing breakfast in the
morning if they wish with the kitchen they
have in their assisted living apartment, there
are also dining options available to ensure
residents have access to well-balanced,
nutritious meals. Many assisted living dining
programs offer restaurant-style dining with a
variety of menu options to choose from.

14. Making the Decision
For more information about how to figure
out how much help your loved one needs
and the benefits of home care versus assisted
living, download our eBook How to Decide:
Home Care or Assisted Living.

15. This slideshow is brought to you by Highgate Senior Living, an industry-leading assisted
living and memory care provider offering a holistic approach to care. Pioneering change
in the senior living industry, Highgate is committed to creating a unique and desirable
living option where each resident can live a life of purpose.
Visit our website at www.highgateseniorliving.com to learn more.
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