How To Know When Your Aging Parent Needs In Home Care
It is estimated that 22 million Americans are providing elder care
for an aging parent or older relative. If you are among them, then you
know how challenging the responsibility of assisted living services can
be - physically, mentally and emotionally. Whether you're providing
personal care and companionship services seven days a week, or live out
of town and try to manage their care long distance, there comes a time
when you must ask yourself the inevitable question.
Is it time to consider in home care?
For Personal Care
As
noted by Synergy HomeCare - widely considered the most trusted name in
home care - after a lifetime of performing everyday personal care
activities, the progressive inability to do so in older age can be
devastating. If you cannot be there to help, your parent may need in
home care if they are unable to:
- Bathe and
shower on their own, wash their hair, brush their teeth, use the
restroom or perform any other personal hygiene activities
- Dress themselves in the morning or undress themselves at night
- Move
around on their own, whether that means getting out of bed, sitting in
a chair or simply walking through the house
- Drive themselves
to the doctor, the grocery store, a friend's house or any number of
other things they might want or need to do
For Keeping House
For
parents who have spent their entire lives taking pride in keeping a
clean house, it can be a real blow to their self-worth when their
physical condition makes it impossible for them to do so. If you cannot
be there to help, your parent may need in home care if they are unable
to:
- Do light housekeeping, like dusting, vacuuming and taking out the trash
- Wash the dishes, clean the countertops or mop the floors
- Scrub showers, tubs or toilets
- Do laundry, ironing or change the linens
- Prepare meals and clean up afterward
For Companionship
Often,
the greatest gift an aging parent can receive is companionship from
someone who can not only provide conversation, but also a helping hand.
If you cannot be there to help, your parent may need in home care if
they are unable to:
- Arrange doctor appointments
- Remember when to take medications
- Plan and prepare healthy, balanced meals
- Keep bills organized
- Maintain a safe home environment
And remember. Even if you're providing 24/7 care for your aging parent, that does not mean you can or should
maintain that schedule definitely. Not only will it take a toll on the
other relationships in your life, but it can also be detrimental to
your health. In fact, your aging parent may need in home care in the
form of respite care simply so you can take a well-deserved break.
