Why Multi-Generational Living Might Be Good For You
Living with your ageing parents can be a once-in-a-lifetime bonding experience and an opportunity to get to know your parents better. With them in the backyard, it can also help maintain their physical and mental health by encouraging daily interactions with your loved ones.
Most of us who choose to move our parents somewhere close to home – or in a backyard suite, for example – do it because we love them, and they sometimes need our help as they age. Getting to your “golden” years of life means you might need to be watched more closely by a family member or caretaker, especially if your Mom or Dad has any health concerns.
Living with elderly parents often poses benefits for the children and grandchildren as well. Many families enjoy the opportunity to save money on housing expenses while spending more time with future generations, creating lasting memories with one another.
Here are more details on how living with your ageing parents may be beneficial for you! Also see:
#1 – Save Money On Expenses
Number one on the list of benefits to living with your senior parents is saving money on housing and utility expenses. This is especially advantageous for senior citizens who can’t afford to maintain their own property or pay expensive monthly fees for a retirement home. For example:
> Parents who live in a backyard suite on your property can easily connect to your main household’s internet and TV services without having to pay extra. Likewise, with landscaping and/or snow removal arrangements, your parents also benefit from the same services acquired as a homeowner.
> Family dinners – and the groceries bought – may become shared expenses as you dine with your ageing parents inside the main house throughout the week. And, if you’re lucky, maybe Grandma will have her special dish waiting for you when you get home from work once or twice a week.
> Living with your ageing parents may also save both of you money compared to paying for them to live in a retirement home or other senior living facility. Some Western Canadian retirement homes, for example, can charge upwards of $7,000+ per month, which isn’t cheap!
These are just a few examples of how living with your ageing parents can help share the bill for various expenses and create a more enjoyable living experience at the same time.
#2 – Get More Family Time
When you live far away from your ageing parents, it might be tough to find time to see them regularly. After all, you have responsibilities at home and at work to worry about – which, if you’re like most other people on this planet, consume most of your time!
But if your ageing parents live at home in a backyard suite, for example, then you’ll have all the time in the world to see them and reap the benefits of such! A few examples of what more family time could mean for you:
- Grow with one another and make lasting memories in the “golden” years of your parents’ lives.
- Promote the physical / mental health of both your young children and senior parents via their interactions with one another.
- Opportunity to create an irreplaceable bond between your children and parents – something that doesn’t happen much in many Western households nowadays
- Have more sets of eyes to watch the kids while at work, or perhaps out and about on a date with your partner.
- Get more meals cooked by others than yourself; we all know our parents have some wicked recipes we’d like to keep through the generations!
#3 – Care Administered by a Loved One
Over the past few years, cruelty to seniors in certain homes across Canada and the U.S. has been put in the limelight. Seeing this news is concerning for many homeowners who placed their senior parents in a retirement home for extended care.
We would all like to believe these incidents are few and far between. However, the only way you can know for sure is if you observe the care your parents are given. With the demands of work and personal obligations, it’s very unlikely for you to be in charge or have a say in your loved one’s care if they aren’t living close to home.
Knowing that someone you can trust, such as a family member or doctor, will be caring for your loved one when a check-up or minor treatment is required can be reassuring. By living together with your ageing parents, you won’t have to worry about the quality of care they receive since you’ll observe, discuss, or administer it first-hand depending on your situation.
Is It Time to Move Your Parents Home?
Finding ways to include ageing parents in your daily life can be practical and rewarding, as shown by the benefits above.
Garage suites are a great option for moving your ageing parents to home. Like an apartment built on top of your lot’s garage, they give you and your family privacy while being able to reap the benefits listed above!
If you’re thinking about building a garage suite in Calgary to keep your family close, contact us anytime at 403.797.4918 and we will be happy to discuss your goals further! We are looking forward to chatting with you more!
