Difficult Emotions: The Stress Of Putting Our Parents In A Nursing Home

There is nothing more stressful than putting our parents in a nursing home, and as we learn to cope with these feelings of stress, we can get overwhelmed with the life admin side of things but also dealing with the internal struggles in ourselves.

When it comes to putting your parents in a nursing home, there are so many things that need addressing. And what are some of these?

 

Respecting Your Parents’ Wishes

Ultimately, we have to respect our parents’ wishes. And whether they are succumbing to age-related cognitive decline or they are suffering from a physical ailment, we’ve got to respect our parents’ wishes.

It’s a very simple thing, but you’d be surprised how many people do not do this. When you are discussing with other family members about the situation, let your parents make as many decisions as possible.

This includes their choice of nursing home, but also, it’s about meeting them halfway. Compromise and respecting their wishes are essential.

 

Issues With The Nursing Home

It’s all about finding a nursing home that sits right with your parent. It can be a long journey to get to the right destination, but it’s important that when your parents are settled in, that it’s not about leaving them to their own devices.

After all, their feelings of isolation may increase. And, unfortunately, there are cases of nursing home abuse, and, if you ever suspect any of the signs of nursing home abuse, you can learn more about getting legal help.

The nursing home isn’t just the last thing on the tick list; it’s about that long-term care, from the perspective of the nursing home, as well as ensuring that you are doing everything you can to make their stay as homely as possible, no matter how difficult this may be.

 

Coping With Difficult Emotions

Nursing home guilt is a considerably common emotion, and there are many things that you will have to come to terms with, not just with regards to making sure your parent feels at home, but the guilt that you’re putting them in a nursing home because you feel unable to do anything more is a very common emotion.

But we have to tell ourselves that we are doing everything we can, and it’s for them at the end of the day, not us. This doesn’t stop us feeling guilty. It’s about that balance of doing everything you can to make your parent feel comfortable but also realizing that you are not superhuman.

It can be a considerable financial strain, not to mention an emotional one, and your life calendar is going to change in so many different ways. But by putting your parents into a nursing home, this is the sign that you’ve done everything you can.

It’s something that can take a long time for us to get our heads around because that sensation of guilt does overwhelm us. We have to realize that we’ve got to live our own lives, but also realize that we have done everything we can.

Ultimately, if you aren’t a nursing professional, you won’t be able to give your parent the care they need. As such, putting them in a nursing home is the best possible step, no matter how wrong this may feel.

What are you doing to cope with the stress of moving a parent to a nursing home?