Caring for the elderly is becoming a bigger concern for many of us as our society ages.
Our ageing parents may find themselves experiencing loneliness, frustration, boredom, or even despair. If they no longer have the capacity to drive themselves places, a feeling of isolation can begin to set in. Caring for the elderly is becoming a bigger issue.
When you consider the physical issues your parents may be dealing with, it is likely you can come up with a handful or more to list. These burdens can make it difficult for them to execute tasks without assistance properly.
This is especially so regarding personal care and hygienic practices. You may realise the aid your parents require, but like so many of us, you might already be overwhelmed by the demands of everyday life.
There is no doubt that your presence in their life is crucial, but how can you balance their needs with your schedule’s demands?
Being Present
Frequent face-to-face visits are undoubtedly the most desirable interaction, for both you and your parents. If you’re lucky enough to live close to them, this is a viable option. However, in this day and age, families tend to be much more geographically spread out. This results in a variety of living arrangements across world regions and genders.
This means frequent communications, whether a phone call, text, or email, will be the next best option for you to keep in touch. The significance of these small gestures is unimaginable.
Many ageing seniors feel loneliness. Frequent contact reminds them of the loving family supporting them. Likewise, regular calls provide the social connection your parents can look forward to.
Daily Care Concerns
Your parent might have issues preventing them from completing daily routines. This can make it even more difficult for you to find ways to assist them in managing the daily tasks necessary. This is especially the case if you are a working adult.
Of course, this concern is magnified if you live far from them and cannot rely on other family members to contribute to their daily assistance.
Ageing parents may have a variety of limitations. These range from toileting and personal hygiene care, to merely needing assistance with grocery shopping or housekeeping.
Ensuring Your Parent’s Care
An adage speaks about ageing and ‘going to the home,’ yet many seniors find the idea of going to a facility or long-term care residences unpalatable.
Many of our ageing parents would, understandably, prefer to continue to live in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes. Even if that means they will have to contend with additional difficulties.
While a retirement community may not be the right fit, it is unlikely that you can leave your duties throughout the day to assist your parent. Fortunately, there’s in-home care, which is rising in popularity.
Many ageing parents and adult children alike see it as providing an equal balance between seniors staying at home, while continuing to receive daily assistance.
Finding the Right Care
The idea of having another individual caring for your parent may both be relieving and concerning. While you’ll feel some respite knowing they’re cared for, you want to know you’ve found a reliable and trustworthy caregiver.
It’s important to be able to familiarize yourself with the person that you’ll be entrusting with your parent’s care. Some elderly adults tend to veer away from traditional care agencies due to concerns such as rotating caregivers.
That is because this can make it difficult to build relationships and ensure consistent care quality. Higher expenses as a result of using a care agency and poor pay or training of the caregiver they employ are also concerns.
Conclusion
Caring for the elderly is an important issue. A personal caregiver can provide benefits to your parent, well beyond merely assisting with physical duties. Relationships, bonds and friendships form between those receiving care and those providing it.
Finding the right caregiver for your parent will put your mind at ease, allow them more independence and bring a crucial social element to your loved one’s life.
