Perhaps you feel overwhelmed by the thought of assisting your elderly parents in maintaining their safety and health. Identifying their needs, weighing your options, and making the best decision possible might be a complex process for both of you. Concentrating on something solid enables you to think more clearly and be in control of your circumstances.
Assessing your aging parent’s condition and needs
Looking after our parents may be daunting, particularly if you’re unsure what has to be done. To resolve this issue, take a moment and consider how much assistance your parent requires to be safe and healthy with day-to-day activities.
Note all vital details so you can stay on top of their needs and determine which services and actions are required. For instance, suppose your father lives upstate and is battling heart disease or recovering from surgery, lives alone in a rural region, and cannot cook for himself. Naturally, he would require assistance and help with day-to-day life.
To give him the best support that he deserves, you may hire someone for his regular hospital visits, do some errands, and tend to other emergencies. Moreover, consider contacting a reliable home care service to assist with meal preparation, medication reminders, and further help for his condition.
Don’t forget yourself in the process.
Each person is at a unique point in their respective lives. Before immediately jumping to the decisions and declaring that you are capable of meeting all of your parent’s needs and demands, take a moment to consider your physical and mental health condition, financial situation, and capabilities.
Although we all want the best and to ensure the safety and health of our parents, you need to understand that it is neither cruel nor callous if you admit that you are not the most qualified person to provide for them for now. If any, you are a loving and caring child by acknowledging the situation and hiring a more competent one that can take care of them. Of course, you can still watch out for their health & welfare and make arrangements for the assistance they will require.
Maintain an open and transparent communication
Another factor contributing to your parent’s safety is the ease of access when calling for assistance and communicating with other relatives and friends. Apart from posing a danger to one’s safety, solitude and depression have a detrimental influence on one’s general health.
Ensure that they have access to a phone and that it is easy for them to use it. Basic mobile phones with pre-programmed contact and emergency numbers in their pocket provide comfort and communication and make it simpler for them to reach you out, and vice versa, when needed.
Alternatively, if they are willing, consider letting them wear a portable medical alert gadget for easier access to assistance and help.
Assume joint responsibility for caring
You may be doing such an outstanding job that no one believes you require assistance in caring for your elderly family member. Consequently, even though you think that you shouldn’t have to mention if your relatives and siblings are willing to share some of the burdens, you might want to consider it so you can take some much-needed time off to recharge.
Every circumstance will necessitate a different approach while seeking family assistance. For example, one individual may decide to relocate their mother to their sister’s home for a year. Moreover, you or your siblings could alternately live with your dad for a specific period. In other situations, it may include having your brother live at your place for a month or two so that you may get away from the house for a while.
If they are eager to lend a hand, be resourceful and adaptable in your approach. There will be no ideal answer, but whatever assistance you can acquire will reduce the amount of labor you have to do.
Encourage their active lifestyle
Living alone is lovely, but not so if it means abandoning the lifestyle and daily routine you knew and loved. In the event you are unable to spend time with your aging mother or father anymore, may that be sitting down to play their favorite game of chess or driving them to their fitness group, you can always seek the help of someone to go with them there or look into other groups and facilities they can join in to socialize and playing games with.
Looking out for elderly parents frequently comes from a place of love. Whether you have a hectic schedule, a family of your own who needs your undivided attention, or you have extra time to devote to your folks; you will almost certainly want assistance and support along the road. Pick a starting point and work your way toward achieving balance for your own and your aging parent’s sake.