| As your parents become much older in life, the time | | | | Another popular nursing home alternative for aging |
| will come where you need to start thinking about | | | | parents and their adult children is more of a family |
| where they'll live when they become too old to live | | | | living arrangement. In some cases, the adult children |
| alone. Many parents and adult children alike however, | | | | will place a secondary small living space on their own |
| don't like the idea of nursing home living. | | | | property for their parents to live in. These secondary |
| It's not uncommon for senior citizens to be healthy | | | | housing unit might be small modular homes, site built |
| and active for many years even after it's no longer | | | | cottage or guest house style dwellings, and even |
| safe or practical for them to live alone, and nursing | | | | Recreational Vehicles. |
| home living is not usually needed for those aging | | | | With this arrangement - often referred to as ECHO |
| parents who still live active and somewhat | | | | housing - the aging parents are still able to live |
| independent lifestyles. | | | | independently, while at the same time having loved |
| Thankfully, there are many alternative living options | | | | family members close by for company, recreation, |
| your parents will enjoy instead of nursing homes. | | | | help, or in the case of emergencies. |
| Which living option you choose should be a joint | | | | Other families prefer to have their aging parents |
| decision between the two of you though. If your | | | | actually live with them in their home, but instead of |
| parents are not incapacitated enough to need nursing | | | | simply giving them a bedroom, they create a full |
| home living arrangement, then they have the right to | | | | apartment contained within the home. The parents |
| at least participate in the decisions about where and | | | | may live in an apartment above the garage for |
| how they will live. | | | | instance, or in a refinished basement designed |
| According to the Administration on Aging, the number | | | | specifically for them. |
| of senior citizens will more than double by the year | | | | Some aging parents insist on living out their lives in |
| 2030. Thanks to advancements in modern medicine, | | | | their own homes though, and this is doable in most |
| they estimate we'll have at least 70 million senior | | | | cases too - particularly if the parent stays fairly |
| citizens in the U.S. by the year 2030. Because of this | | | | healthy and active all their lives. In these cases, most |
| though, many communities have started looking at | | | | adult children simply hire a part time or full time |
| alternative housing options designed specifically for | | | | caregiver to help their parents in their own home. |
| the needs of this aging population. | | | | For a time, the adult child can provide the part time |
| One example of nursing home alternatives for senior | | | | care themselves, visiting several times each week to |
| citizens is retirement living communities which have | | | | help with errands, cleaning and laundry for instance. |
| staff on hand twenty four hours a day in case of an | | | | Over time though, it's usually more helpful to hire |
| emergency. Some of these communities have special | | | | someone that can perform these tasks regularly, and |
| features such as a communal dining and recreation | | | | eventually you'll want to consider getting a live in |
| area, while others have fully in dependant apartments | | | | caretaker as well, so that someone is always around |
| or town homes instead. | | | | for your aging parent if an emergency arises. |