One of the most complicated features of the parent-child relationship is the role reversal that comes with the ageing process. It's hard to see a parent age—it reminds us of their mortality, and our own—and it's hard to ask your parent to move out of their familiar home and into an elderly assisted living facility. The conversation is never easy, though often seniors are aware they need to make a change, but may not bring up the topic themselves. Keeping in mind that the move is for their benefit can help, too.

How Assisted Living Can Help

Elderly assisted living is a residential set-up for seniors that need help with one or more daily activities, like preparing meals, bathing, or transportation, but don't need the medical care a nursing home provides. (Active seniors who are looking for less yard upkeep or for a community of peers are better served by independent living.) Because assisted living offers 24-hour supervision, it can give more peace of mind than hiring a home care aide to look in on your parent for a few hours a day.

Questions to Assess Readiness for Elderly Assisted Living

Perhaps you wonder if your loved one needs some more help, but you're looking for something a little more concrete than just your intuition. Here are some things to consider:

1. Does your loved one have trouble walking anything but short distances? Do they hold on to the furniture for support as they cross a room?

• Elderly assisted living facilities are designed for senior safety, and are often more equipped to handle the realities of limited mobility than a personal home is. Staff and wheelchairs are available when needed.

2. Has your parent recently undergone an event that has limited their mobility or decision-making capabilities?

• While elderly assisted living doesn't provide the medical care that someone in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's might need, or the physical therapy that someone might need directly following a hip fracture, it can be a good answer for those who have recovered from the acute stages of an injury.

3. Has your parent's personal care deteriorated? Have you noticed them wearing the same clothes over and over? Are their clothes or person dirty?

4. Has your parent lost weight? Do you bring them groceries, only to find them still uneaten in the refrigerator, weeks later?

5. Is your loved one having more accidents, like tripping or forgetting to turn off the oven? Have you noticed more cuts or bruises as of late?

If you're still unsure if your loved one needs the extra help elderly assisted living offers, get an outside opinion. Talk your concerns over with other family members, friends of your parent's, or make an appointment with your parent's doctor.