As your parents age and you are busy in your own life, it becomes difficult how often you can visit them. Once their daily life changes and/or their daily living changes such as assisted living care, it gets even more tricky to navigate. Do you visit every day, a few times a week or once a week? How do you know the balance? Here are a few tips to help you navigate this new road.

How Often Do I Visit Mom or Dad in Assisted Living?

1. Health. How healthy are they and should you visit more often if they are having health issues. This is a concern and one that involves other experts like doctors, nurses or therapists. If your parents are having health issues or just had a surgery, you might want to up your visiting to make sure you can talk to the experts on how your parent’s healing is progressing. 
2. Living Situation. First you need to remember when aging parents live independently, you might need to increase the frequency of visits to make sure they are okay, they are taking their medications, and their house, condo or apartment is in good shape. If the place is in disarray, you have new concerns to deal with such as do we need to consider assisted living or home health to help mom or dad when you cannot be there.
3. Your Availability. How often you are available can play a big part in visiting your aging parents. Are you restricted because of work, kids or other obligations you may have? These are all life distractions that can inhibit frequent visiting. 

Once you establish mom or dad needs extended care and should be in assisted living, there comes another list of items to consider. For example, planning ahead so that if there are routines, the assisted living facility can help you be a part of the routine and engage with your loved one. Also, remember to respect their space. They might get tired more quickly or need some alone time to unwind. Remember “patience is a virtue” and be patient, especially if your mom or dad has cognitive issues that could cause them to be slower at understanding what you are saying or slower in their responses because it takes them a minute to process your information. 

When you start visiting your parents in assisted living, there are more things to consider but this list is much easier and can be more enjoyable. Think about bringing things that bring joy to your parents, like music or cards. Playing favorite songs while engaging in activities is so fun. It helps jog old memories too. If the weather permits, enjoy time outside walking or sitting and reaping the benefits of the outdoors. Also, you can bring a pet, with prior permission from the facility, and you can all enjoy the fun of your pet together. There are so many options to make your visits entertaining and meaningful all in one.

Finally there is no one size fits all on how often to visit aging parents or what to do when you are there. There are millions of options and you have to figure out what works for you and your mom or dad. It is as simple as that. 

If you would like more guidance on caregiving and aging, contact Ann Jamison at Senior Living Options. She is experienced with aging adults and how to find the best living arrangements for your parents at each chapter of the aging process. She has been a caregiver and has expert advice to help you have a positive experience while helping mom or dad.

Author: Ann Jamison

Ann Jamison is an experienced senior advisor who has successfully worked with hundreds of families to help them find the best care and home-like environment for themselves or their loved ones. Prior to launching Senior Living Options, Ann was an eldercare advisor for a national placement agency and served as sales director at a senior living community. Thanks to her 25-year career in advertising sales and marketing, Ann is able to discern between hype and reality for her clients. Ann recognizes that there are objective factors that need to be weighed when making a life-changing decision, but she can also assess the important softer attributes by getting to know her clients and by using the gut instincts that can only come through extended experience.