Do you have elderly parents or other relatives who have recently started to require more help with their daily lives? Before you decide to move your loved ones into your home, you should consider how these changes will affect your family’s daily life and, most importantly, how your parents will settle in and how they will feel about giving up their independence. However, there is always a solution to any situation. If your home is too small or your parents aren’t ready to give up their independence completely, you could set up an informal care home in your own back garden.
The advantages of an informal garden-based care home:
1. Privacy
With an informal care home in your garden, the elderly can continue to live their lives as they did before, even after moving in with you. If moving into their child’s house might cause misunderstandings due to the shared living space or the lack of privacy, then an informal care home in the garden can provide a separate living space with a separate entrance, bathroom and kitchen. A multi-roomed garden building can provide the elderly with enough living space – a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom. You could even set up several bedrooms and bathrooms if necessary!
2. Time
It can be challenging to be around for the elderly whenever they need it, especially if you live a long way away from each other. If you decide to move your parents into an informal care home in your garden, you not only allow them to keep their independence but also allow yourself to keep to your daily routine while still being around for them every day. Imagine how easy your life would be if you could check on your parents just by crossing the garden, instead of driving to a different town.
3. Costs
Moving your parents into a residential care home is expensive because the monthly care fees are high. If your family is in doubt about moving your elderly family members into a residential care home due to the high costs, an informal care home in your garden could help you to save money. Moreover, from the money you save on accommodation, you will be able to hire someone to help your parents with their day-to-day needs for a couple of days every week.
Is an informal care home not what you are looking for? Maybe a garden home office is something for you!