Caring for an aging parent is never easy. Perhaps your a part of the new sandwich generation: caught between teenage children and aging parents who will need more and more support. The complexities, expense and emotional burdens only increase as children start driving and going away to school, and your parents are able to drive themselves less and need more help at home. There are real elder care solutions out there that can build your family up, share the load with multiple care givers and not break the bank.

The number of elder care solutions available on the market are growing every day. Whether you looking at an independent living arrangement or living assisted living facility finding the time to drive there and visit your aging parent are real challenges. And while these can be good solutions for seniors who require high levels of skilled care. Caring for an aging parent who needs less skilled care--occasional help with daily tasks, medication reminders, etc; a nursing community can be not only expensive, but unnecessary.

One out of every four American families challenged with caring for an aging parent will find that their home is a happy elder care solution. Simple safety is often of often a driving factor in the decision to move an aging parent into your home. Many times An aging parent if fully capable of taking are of themselves, for the most part. Perhaps they need some help remembering to take their medicine. Let's be hones, mowing the lawn and shoveling the snow can be a lot of work for a young man. And the constant challenge of making meals for one, three times is exactly why college students notoriously don't eat balanced diets. Being in a family setting, getting to help with meals, watching the younger children, and being politely asked about medicine is a little bit of help that makes life easier and enjoyable for a parent. It also give you peace of mind that your parent is happy and healthy.

As inconvenient as it is caring for a parent and the children regularly falls on one person, Mom. Caring for an aging parent in your home allows you and other family members to keep a closer watch on Mom or Dad’s condition. When you move mom into your home, you’ll get the peace of mind that comes from seeing firsthand how your parent is doing. Clearly, caring for an aging parent in your home isn’t always going to be warm and fuzzy, but the fact is that living together can be fulfilling for you, your parents, and especially for your children. When your parent shares a home with younger generations it might even boost his or her thinking power.  Experts say that when a senior tells a detailed story—such as reliving the time they walked four miles through the snow to get to school—it can strengthen pathways in the brain, which could help keep dementia and other cognitive problems at bay.  And bonding with older generations provides children with a sense of belonging to a much bigger family. Children love hearing stories about how Dad got in trouble with is Grandpa that time on the family farm.

Even as Mom or Dad grow older and become increasingly dependent on the family for support you are not alone.  Your elder care solution may include hiring outside help. For example, you might hire a reputable care provider, sometimes called respite care, to sit with Grandpa for a few hours while the family enjoys a hike. In-home caregivers are much easier to monitor than a caregiver at a nursing facility, and allow you freedom from 24/7 care. In-home caregivers also provide the peace of mind that comes from being able to monitor how others care for your loved one. With the average stay at a nursing facility costing more than $70,000 each year, caring for an aging parent in your home will make your family bank account happier—especially in an economy marked by high unemployment and lack of job security. The money you save now can be used to ensure that funds are available if your family member ever needs fulltime skilled medical care.

Caring for an aging parent is tough when your loved one is in nursing care or living independently. However, elder care solutions that include sharing your home with mom or dad can offer a peace of mind that makes you and your loved one happier.