You’ll always find people resolving that they’d never ever admit their near and dear ones in a nursing home no matter what their situation may turn out to be as they grow old. Often the aging population informs their children beforehand that they’d never wish to visit nursing during their later years regardless of what disease he or she may carry. Like these, there are several other reasons why caregivers often choose to take care of their older adults from the comfort of their homes. Keeping your aging parents at home is certainly one of the best things to do, provided the situation is safe and secured at home.
However, with the proliferation of home care services in Sydney, it can’t be denied that senior care is certainly one of the most stressful jobs that one can have. You can check https://www.homecaring.com.au/ for the details for the home care services in Sydney. This is why there are so many caregivers who are under the risk of serious health threats themselves as they fail to take proper care of themselves after they take care of their aging parents. Here in this article, we’ll discuss how you can give care to your aging parents and when to seek professional help.
Contents
- Keep going over the long run – Know how to offer caregiving services
- Home care guide for seniors
- What may you expect from senior home care services?
- When is the right time to seek help from in-home care services for the seniors?
- Come to terms with the sudden change in independence
- Tips for hiring the best home care providers for your aging parent
Keep going over the long run – Know how to offer caregiving services
So, if you’re someone who is taking care of your elder adult at home, it’s high time you pace yourself and get assistance so that you can remain as healthy as you can. Here are a few tips that reduce your caregiving workload and de-stress yourself.
- Know how much care is required
Do you find yourself overloaded with the never-ending ‘to-do’ list for caregivers? If yes, you’re mainly focusing on the tasks, and you’re not actually concentrating on the overall scene. The foremost step that you need to take is to find out how much care the aging person needs. Depending on that realization, you can create a list of weekly and monthly tasks that need to be done and also on weekends. Make quick notes every time there’s someone else who assists your senior with something. Keep evaluating the tasks time-to-time.
- Be realistic about how much care you can offer without taxing your health
Did you just make a proper list of the care needs of your older adult? If answered yes, you can figure out how much care you can give without seeking help. Once your evaluation is done, be careful and realistic about determining whether or not you can offer that level of assistance without taxing your own health. Don’t forget that if you tend to take on too much pressure, you’ll soon burn out and end up becoming incapable of taking care of anyone else.
Source: assuredassistance
- Seek help with caregiving
Although it might seem like looking for caregiving help demands too much of your time and effort, yet you need to understand that this is an investment that’ll surely pay off in the near future. Remind yourself of the type of needs your parent demands and seek help accordingly. Enroll him in an adult day program; hire dementia caring services at home if he is suffering from the disease, utilize a respite care service for a better break or sign up with a delivery service for meals.
Home care guide for seniors
Most seniors love the idea of staying at home for as long as possible, as they love the feeling of independence. Thanks to modern technology that you can make sure your aging parent is safe at home. Home care for seniors is designed in order to delay the process of moving to an assisted living center or a nursing home. As long as in-home care is concerned, it offers seniors with non-medical care, home health care, and also companionship.
With 80 million baby boomers beginning to retire at the rate of 8000 a day, there is an unprecedented increase in home-care services, and this translates to better service, tougher competition, and lower prices.
What may you expect from senior home care services?
There’s no doubt about the fact that your home is undoubtedly the most comfortable place for you. Once you are shifted to a nursing home or an assisted living community, you have to share your room with a stranger. Independence is a psychological boon, particularly when the aging effects take place. This is why home health aide helps you in your home unless you can do things on your own.
A study found that people who get in-home care visited the doctor 25% fewer times as against those who didn’t receive any sort of home care services. If you hire a team, they can deliver the majority of the senior care services which are offered by the hospitals. You can hire workers for providing total caregiving needs or for offering respite to the normal regular caregiver or to the spouse. They come under the titles:
- Registered Nurse
- Health Care Aide
- Homemaker of companion
Social workers, physical therapists, and other specialists even make home visits. When an aging person receives home-care directed by the nurse, there are lesser chances of hospitalization, as per the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. A similar study found out that rehospitalization was much less likely with home care, especially for heart patients. Once you choose in-home care over the assisted living center or nursing home care, you can get the following benefits:
- Improved quality of life
- Better convenience
- Reduced medical bills
Source: reachpointinc
Few such instances of the services that are provided by home-care services are:
- Taking care of surgical wounds or injuries
- Monitoring the blood pressure and heart rate of the patient
- Managing catheters and IVs
- Cleaning home and preparing meals
- Educating caregivers and patients
- Offering cognitive therapies and physical or mental therapies
- Offering companionship and
- Providing help during transportation
Few of the best home care agencies provide enrichment programs that are tailored to meet the needs of patients and customers. Like for example, a customized home care enrichment plan for a senior may even include painting, playing puzzle games, attending church prayers, taking walks along with the caregiver.
When is the right time to seek help from in-home care services for the seniors?
Are your day-to-day tasks getting daunting for your loved one who is growing old, and who is being affected by several senior-related diseases? If answered yes, you have to make sure you ensure their safety, considering the risk that they have of staying alone with health problems. Though you know that there are in-home services available for the seniors, you often tend to get confused about when you should seek the help of such home care services. We’ve listed down the few signs that will prompt you about seeking the help of such professional services. Check them out:
- When loneliness depresses the person
As you get engaged in your regular busy schedule, you may find it really tough to find out time to spend with your near and dear ones even after knowing that they’re growing old and that they might feel lonely. Though it is mostly unintentional, still seniors can definitely feel neglected at most times. In case you find her seeking your attention, in all probabilities, she is feeling lonely. Now that you don’t have too much time for her, you can hire professional caregivers to treat her and stop her from feeling lonely.
- When bad memory affects the person
The normal symptoms of dementia are memory loss, and when a senior lives alone in a home, this can have a dangerous impact on the person. If you notice such signs of dementia, it should immediately call for an in-home senior care service so as to avoid any kind of risk. The caregiver will help the person in taking the right medicines at the right time and by letting her do all the important tasks as per schedule. Apart from being able to take rest, you can also gain peace of mind.
- When she becomes less mobile
Do you notice rough movements in your aged family member? If you answered yes, you need to take care of your aged parent as she needs constant assistance. Now that you’re busy with your regular duties, how are you supposed to take care of the person staying alone at home? This is when you should seek help from home care services so that they can let you achieve your daily activities like visiting the grocery store, taking strolls in the park, and having a bath.
Source: jfcares
- When medicines are not being taken properly
No matter whether it is stubborn with age or a course of normal forgetfulness, missing out on recommended medicines can soon become a health hazard for the aged parent. But once you hire an in-home caregiver, you can be sure about the fact that all medicines will be taken on time, and the patient will also be taken proper care of.
So, if you’re going through any of the above-listed situations, you can soon decide about seeking help from a professional so that you don’t run the risk of an ailing family member.
Come to terms with the sudden change in independence
Once you enter an assisted living facility, a sense of confusion is certainly the most immediate feeling that you’ll get. Some might even feel angry, vulnerable, and irritated when they realize that they can’t do things independently as they did before. The realization that you have to depend on outsiders for performing regular tasks might be disturbing for you. In the case of in-home care services, you may even feel uncomfortable about allowing strangers inside your home.
However, if you acknowledge such feelings and keep your mind open for the brand new ways of making life simpler, you have to understand that there are ways in which you can cope with the situation. What are the ways of coping? Read on.
- You have to be patient with yourself
Come to terms with the fact that losses are an inevitable part of aging and that you will have lost a part of your independence. Compromising with your independence is not a sign of weakness. When you feel sad about some change in your life, allow yourself to feel sad about the alteration in your home care situation without considering it as a failure.
- Try out the services
As you plan to run a trial of the services that you’ll get, you can get a chance to experience the advantages that you may reap out of home care services without committing for the long term.
- Adopt an open mind
Your near and dear ones or relatives may give you suggestions regarding various home care services so as to make life simpler for you. Don’t dismiss those suggestions. Rather try to keep an open mind, discuss all your options, and start developing new friendships or discovering the best possibilities at old age.
Source: websterhc
Tips for hiring the best home care providers for your aging parent
How should you hire the best home care, providers? This entirely depends on the type of help and the range of services that you’re looking for. Are you going to hire someone who could handle the maintenance of the yard or tackle shopping? Keeping in mind the basics, here are some of the best ways in which you could go through the hiring process.
- Conduct an interview: Before you choose an application, you have to let them go through a screening process by conducting an in-depth interview. Make sure you are involved in this interview.
- Be accurate about the tasks: Now that you’re trying to hire a home care service, you must be sure about the skills required, tasks to be done, and the schedules that are involved. Ensure that the person you’re hiring is comfortable with all the above.
- Enquire about personal preferences: You have to check the person’s personal preferences. Verify details and ask him about trustworthiness, reliability, punctuality, and whether or not he’ll be able to handle the stress of taking care of a dementia patient.
- Know how to say ‘No’: If you don’t like the home care service provider, don’t be afraid to tell him that and move on to someone else.
Therefore, if your loved one is aging at home and you either need to hire in-home care services or shift her to a nursing home facility, make sure you keep in mind all the above details to make the process smooth.
