Has anyone tried a large camper or motor home temporarily for an able parent?

Your profile states that your mother has dementia, so that would be my first thought. Is she oriented as to place? If the camper were moved around, would she become confused as to where she is?

I would also check with local code enforcement and building codes. When a former neighbor parked his large motor home in his driveway, the buzzards came out and cited him b/c the home was a few feet longer than their regulations.

So check to make sure that campers are allowed in the various family's home towns.

I think that's a great idea otherwise - with the parent being able to visit and the caregiving is spread. But confusion on the part of the parents would be my first concern, especially if there are any wandering issues.

One draw back would be zoning. Be sure to check with the county/city/town zoning office to see if a camper or motor home is allowed in a residential area, and if so for how many days. Some places only allow 2 weeks maximum. If this is a rural setting, chances are no limits.  If a house is in a Homeowners Association, only 24 hours could be the limit.

My one concern, wouldn't the parent who is living in the camper feel left out of family participation? It might work for a parent who is more of a hermit.

All good points and we have dismissed the idea.

Michigan Owl,
Keep thinking out of the box, good job!

I would want you to be sure your LO knows how and is capable of getting out in case of a fire or other emergency. Zoning can be an issue too. Not only size and placement. My parents homeowners allows for parking of RVs but no one can live in it. Other wise it sounds like a good temporary situation. As the demensia progresses, your LO will require a lot more hands on care.

Phew!

Hope you and the family can all find a solution that works well for everyone.

There are companies that drop "granny pods" onto your property with electricity, sewer, etc. hook ups. Here are a few to see if they are in your area:

• Med Cottages http://www.medcottage.com/
• Next Door Housing in MN http://www.nextdoorhousing.com/

However, if you are researching this for your mom who does have dementia, many moves make it difficult on them and these pods are not secure for long term housing for people who have memory loss. Better to move her into a senior services building that has a secure memory loss unit that she can transition into if need be in the future.

That was my idea 3 yrs ago. Never did it. Mad I didn't try all of my ideas"out of box", glad that I didn't tie up any money. Sometimes I feel lately that you should just let fate handle it. I even wanted to buy a house(closer) to me. Always looking. Dad passed after 2 yrs. I swore he was gonna live forever. Now handling mom(dementia), no hearing. 24/7 care in her home. Me giving breaks 3 times a week. 21 miles one way. After 3 yrs. I figure I'm gonna keep her in her home until last minute until the money goes and I have to place her. I had no support for my ideas. If you have it then try it. You always regret what you didn't do.

I have seen the Granny Pods and they are pretty neat. The problem with anything put on your property, zoning laws especially here in the North. The South seems to be a little more lenient it seems in rural areas. With a camper or a trailer, you have to have water and electric hook ups. Like said, where I live doesn't allow them to be lived in even if you are just sleeping in them. Good Luck on a solution but remember Dementia can progress slowly or one day they wake up and have gone downhill considerably. I had to move my Mom in when she left a pot on the stove. Just before that, she forgot how to use a phone and a remote. She is in a home now that is taking very good care of her.

Thank you all. It is very helpful to read the ideas and suggestions. Mom is definitely resisting living in any of our home even though two of us have room. She wants her own place, but not assisted living. This is the hardest thing ever. We live in a rural area so I thought a camper may work til late fall. But we will keep looking. We have found the nicest secure assisted living with one bedroom apartments. Hoping she will try it willingly.