How to Care for Elderly Parents at Home
Aging is a part of life, but nursing homes don’t need to be. It’s common for aging parents and their children to prefer an at-home option for senior care. Regardless of why you and your family choose to stay at home, it can be a big undertaking for you as the caretaker.
Taking care of your elderly parents at home can be mentally and financially draining, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. Below we’ll outline the seven top tips for taking care of your elderly parents in the comfort of their own home.
1. Assess How Much Care They Need
When evaluating staying at home for senior care, the first thing to do is assess how much support your parents will need. This will help you better understand if you can provide the care they need to stay healthy and happy.
It’s important to ask yourself questions about your availability for transportation, your capability to help them with daily tasks like using the bathroom, and how much time you have to provide companionship. If you still believe you have the time and knowledge to care for your parents in their aging condition, you can rest assured in your choice of caring for them at home.
2. Plan for Costs of Caregiving
Taking care of your elderly parents at home is a financial burden. It’s important to evaluate if you have the capacity in your budget to provide the care your parents need. These costs could include food, transportation, and potential medical needs.
As the saying goes, time is money. When it comes to taking care of your parents at home, you may need to take additional time off work to provide the care they need. This could lead to less income to provide for you and your family and your aging parents. You must assess your financial stability before undertaking the role of caregiver.
Once you’ve evaluated your parent’s needs and your financial capability, you can start planning the day-to-day care of your elderly parents.
3. Focus on Easy Meals
One of the most important things to consider in-home elder care is what your parents can eat. Soft, easy food is often best as many seniors lack appetite or have other conditions such as anxiety or depression that can lower their desire to eat.
Easy meals also mean easy to make. Between your regular job and taking care of your elderly parents, your schedule fills up fast. This means purchasing meal services, ordering food, or buying easy-to-make options will help relieve some of the stress of taking care of your parents at home.
4. Keep Your Parents Active
Keeping your elderly parents active is a big part of providing in-home care. While they may not be as active as they once were, there are still ways to keep their bodies moving and their minds active.
Help them pursue hobbies, religious activities, or social opportunities. Guide them through easy stretches that they can do while sitting down or help them do laps around the kitchen table. Getting them up and moving and keeping their spirits high will help with the morale of taking care of your parents at home.
5. Safety Proof the Home
Seniors are more prone to slips and falls due to reduced mobility. It’s important to install precautions around the home to keep them safe and support them as they move from one room to the next. Some common senior proofing techniques include adding mats or chairs to the shower, removing throw rugs, installing railings, and adding more lighting.
In addition to these precautions, your parents may need personal help navigating the home. Depending on their capabilities, you may need to help them use the bathroom, get dressed, and do chores like laundry.
6. Ensure Proper Medication Management
Many elderly parents have medications they take on a regular basis. Whether it’s for Diabetes, Arthritis, or Alzheimer’s, it’s important to stay consistent on your parent’s medication management. It’s common for seniors to forget to take or avoid taking their medication. As their caregiver, it’s your duty to keep them healthy by reminding and helping them take their prescriptions.
When it comes to medication management, organization is key. Pre-sorting medications and storing them all in one container can help with consistency as you won’t need to prepare their doses every day. Make a list of what they need to take and when. Then, monitor any odd reactions to new medications, and ensure they take the medication as prescribed.
7. Get Professional Caregiving Help
The last and most important tip for taking care of your elderly parents at home is to seek help.
As mentioned above, a lot of time, energy, and money go into caring for a senior. Keeping your parents in the comfort of their own home is still possible even if you think their care needs surpass your abilities or if you’re afraid you’ll get burned out or overwhelmed.
Professional caregivers provide the exact care your parents need, from medication management to companionship to daily activities like using the bathroom and getting dressed. This is a great option for seniors with Dementia or Alzheimer’s, as specifically trained caregivers provide the support these seniors need.
If you want to be the primary caregiver of your parents, it’s still important to give yourself a break. Caregivers provide respite care, so your parents continue to get the care they need while you take a much-needed break to de-stress.
Illuminated Hearts is a professional home care agency in Philadelphia that’s here to help support your parents at home, whether it’s full-time or just for respite care services. Contact their home care agency to see how they can provide the home care services your parent needs to stay in the comfort of their own home.