Tips on how to offer adequate care to the elderly at home

As time goes by, so does age. There comes the point where we have our caregivers, parents and other family members who will depend on us to take care of them. They might be in good health, but constant check-in is essential. Some people might choose to take their elderly-to-elderly homes where they are cared for with other people their age. Others choose to bring them to their house or let them stay at theirs and employ a caregiver for them. If you are one of those who prefer to have your parents in your house or have a caregiver come to their house, here are a few tips to make their stay and yours comfortable.

Preparation

It is vital to have an open conversation with your parents before moving them to your house. Discuss both of your expectations in-depth and understand what each of you would expect to come out of them moving and being cared for in your home. It is essential to discuss their freedom in your house so that they don’t feel like they will be tied to do things that would be pleasing to them. This kind of preparation for them before the ideal moving date will make the transition easier. If by chance, they don’t want to move, you can let them see your reasoning, but if not, discuss an alternative decision.

Prioritise Safety

Given the age and health condition of your parent or relative, safety should be a top priority. Extra precautions like sleeping and sitting arrangements that are safe for them even when there is no one around and installing bars to hold on to while in the bathroom or walking through the corridors will be adequate. You might want to get a shower chair for the elderly in their bathroom to ensure they have long, comfortable baths. Check on the rags in your house significantly; places prone to have water spillages like the bathroom and kitchen. Taking care of an older person does require a significant degree of risk management.

While in their house, since you will constantly be doing chores for them, try to check on their needs since you are not with them all the time. Put things at their disposal if they might have a problem moving around, or help improve their mobility by getting them a wheelchair or a walking stick, checking their hygiene to prevent them from getting any infections while away is essential, especially in the kitchen and bathroom. Help put their clothes neatly and at a place they can reach them so that they might not drop things on themselves while trying to get them when you are away.

Scheduled care

If you work full-time, you might want to consider getting someone to stay at home so that your parents will be taken care of in your absence. Your schedule and priorities are equally crucial as caregiving, and therefore you shouldn’t lose sight of them. If you are a full-time caregiver, it would be necessary to schedule an assistant if you experience burnout as you go about your daily caregiving routines. Take care of yourself as you do your older relatives.

If your parents live in their house and you have to constantly stop by to check on them, ask for help from relatives and close friends to stop by and check on them when you cannot. It, in turn, takes the pressure off your shoulder when you know they are taken care of even in your absence.

Financial planning

Taking up the responsibility to care for an older person will increase your budget by a certain amount of money. It is essential to check out details like if your parents or yourself can maintain the cost of their house. If not, then moving them to your house or a home for the elderly would be ideal. It is essential to know that bringing them to your home, hiring a caregiver and remodelling your house to suit their needs and measure up to their safety requires substantial money. Getting the help of a financial advisor will help you know what you are up against and how to plan yourself.

A retirement community is an option

Having your parents at home with you will reduce their boredom and make them feel at home with their close family members. The growth of a bond between them and the rest of the family members you live with will be more robust, but in the case that you might not be able to keep up with taking care of your parents full time, it would be a great choice to consider taking them to a retirement home. Enrolling them in a retirement home ensures that they get the utmost care they need. Some retirement homes do offer health services, and this would be ideal if your relative does have an underlying health condition.