Should you relocate to assisted living near your family?

Although there’s a significant amount of older adults who live long distances from their nearest family members, the average American actually lives only 18 miles from their parents. This situation of several generations of families living near each other geographically can be explained by a variety of factors including cultural and geographical preferences, economic factors, and other practical reasons. Over the next few years, an even greater amount of older adults are expected to live near their adult children in order to receive help, care, and companionship as they age.

Some older adults relocate so family members can provide assistance

For families who live significant distances apart from each other for extended periods of time, it can be common for older parents to relocate near their children as they age and require increasing amounts of assistance. Because adult children are normally committed to careers and homes in specific areas, it most cases the older parent will relocate to be near their children even if that means moving far distances to an unfamiliar area. Some families may have two or three siblings who live significant distance from each other, often in different states. This creates a situation in which the family must choose which child the older parent will live near. Naturally, each family dynamic is unique, and in some cases there may be a specific child who will be able to provide the most attention, care, and assistance to their older parent. In other cases, each sibling may be overextended with their immediate families and careers. In these families, an older parent might relocate to live near one child for several years, and then relocate again to be near another one of their children. This lets the parent portions of their retirement near each of their children.

Relocating for retirement living

Relocating to be near family gives older adults personal connections and can be an important part of a happy and healthy retirement. For some families, older adults and their children may all live in the same region, so naturally a senior living community or assisted living facility in that area is the logical choice. The parent is able to stay in the area they’re accustomed to and remain close to their adult children. For families which have several children living in different regions, if an older parent wants to move into an assisted living community they’ll have to choose a child to live near and an area to live in. Sometimes the deciding factor is when a particular child insists that the parent retires near them. This could happen if that particular child hasn’t been able to visit their parent as much as their siblings and wants to make up for time apart by living near each other. Other deciding factors can be the selection of senior living communities in the area or pricing of assisted living services in the area. And most importantly, a deciding factor should ultimately be where the parent wants to retire to. If an older parent has children who live in urban, suburban, and rural areas, and the parent is insistent on retiring in a suburban area because that’s the kind of atmosphere in which they’re most happy, then this will often be the biggest factor in their choice of location for senior living and retirement.

Planning senior living arrangements? Visit our community in Los Angeles.

All of this adds up to a complex decision in which many interests must be considered. Older adults and their children should plan retirement arrangements far in advance, even if part of that decision involves older parents relocating near a child but living alone for a period and settling into a new location for some time before transitioning into a retirement community. Planning these arrangements in advance allows families to identify the best assisted living prospects in each area, considering the pricing of senior care services like assisted living and memory care, and also allows everyone in the family to get comfortable with everyone’s role in this next phase of everyone’s lives. If you’re considering a senior living and assisted living community in Los Angeles for a family member, we invite you to visit our community, meet our staff, and get acquainted. Please contact us for more information.