Elder Care Connect

Caring for Elderly Parents in 9 Simple Ways

Posted on 21. Jun, 2010 by admin.

With improvements in living standards and medical care leading to increased life expectancy and longer life-spans, a large proportion of the middle-aged population finds itself caring for elderly parents. A poll in 2008 by USA Today-ABC News showed 41% of the populace acted as caregivers for an aging parent.

Caring for the elderly can be an exhausting task, both physically and emotionally. It involves a lot of time and effort and often gives rise to stressful situations and arguments. Listed below are 9 pointers to successfully navigate the care and support of your elderly loved ones.

1. Involve the whole family: Get your whole family to participate in discussions on future care-giving. Involve your parents and take into consideration their wishes and opinions too.
2. Plan in advance: Prepare for the future as early as possible. Make arrangements to have legal documents such as wills and power of attorneys in place, and know all about your parents’ relevant financial items, such as insurance policies, health insurance, deeds, investments etc. plus where they are kept.
3. Identify your parents’ needs: Assess the areas where your parents may need help, such as cooking, chores, laundry, personal hygiene, shopping for groceries etc., and ensure that you are available to help. Also put into place any necessary precautions and safety measures to prevent falls, electric shocks etc.
4. Stay informed: Keep track of your parents’ medical history, prescribed medicines, allergies, side-effects etc. Speak to their doctor about detailed instructions for each drug, including when to take, what foods to avoid when taking it etc., and any possible drug interactions and related complications.
5. Respect your parents’ space: Allow them a degree of independence in decisions and activities in which they can take care of themselves. Give them their space and the right to make choices, and be honest when discussing their health issues with them.
6. Allocate responsibility: Share care-giving responsibilities within the family by proper division of tasks to ensure that things run smoothly for your parents and no one family member is over-burdened or overwhelmed by the work of care-giving.
7. Allot some self-time: Take time out to take care of yourself and unwind with your favorite activities. Be realistic about what you can and can’t contribute to your parents’ care and ensure you don’t over-stress yourself.
8. Be alert for warning signs: Keep your eyes open for signs such as rapid weight loss, forgetfulness, mood swings, poor attention to hygiene etc., which may indicate the onset of dementia or depression. Also be alert for signs of reduced mobility or physical impairment which may hinder them in their daily activities.
9. Seek outside help if needed: If you are unable to provide the amount of care required by your parents, be open to asking for help from outside sources like nursing services, local agencies, elderly care units etc.

Caring for elderly parents is a huge and extremely demanding responsibility and requires an intensive effort from the caregiver. Knowing some useful pointers and making use of your options can go a long way in making care-giving a smoother process for everyone involved.

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Five Essential Tips for Caregivers of Elderly Parents

Posted on 20. Mar, 2010 by admin.

Every year, countless hours of care are provided free of charge by Baby Boomers to their parents. If you were to calculate this time in hourly wage costs, the dollar amount of the care would be comparable to the entire Medicare budget. Added to this, another seven million Boomers provide caregiving from a distance, with their out-of-pocket expenses rising to nearly $5,000 monthly. Those costs climb even higher in terms of salaries, benefits and pensions sacrificed; for children who have or who plan to leave their jobs to care for their elderly parents, it can come to $650,000 yearly.

But tens of millions of Baby Boomers don’t get paid anything for the hours of personal care they give to their ailing parents. If you were to calculate this time in hourly wage costs, the figure would be about the same as the entire Medicare budget. Added to this, another seven million Boomers assist with caregiving from a distance, paying nearly $5,000 a month out-of-pocket for various expenses. Those costs rise even higher in terms of salaries, benefits and pensions sacrificed to the tune of $650,000 yearly for children who already have or who plan to leave their jobs to help care for their elderly parents.

But the money is only a part of the price paid by caregivers for their love and devotion. Losses aren’t always related to bank accounts when it comes to caregiving for the elderly. The obligations of the caregivers’ work may make it difficult to engage in some of their favorite activities, such as meeting friends for dinner, taking in a movie or going on a vacation with the family. They forfeit many aspects of their lives, such as their time, missed professional opportunities, and changes in their personal relationships that can leave them isolated and all alone.

Sometimes the care necessary for a love one is short-term and not especially complicated, such as the assistance required to recover from a broken leg. But more often the elderly are headed for a period of decline that will bring increasing needs for assistance. It can take huge chunks of time for caregivers to give the proper amount of help to their parents — and other family members and friends — during this difficult time of transition. One of the biggest costs faced by caregivers is the loss of their own health and peace of mind. There is evidence to support the fact that some caregivers truly do sacrifice their lives to aid the ones they love.

But there are ways to make the personal and financial costs of caregiving less of a drain. To do this, you will need to respond to your situation in a proactive, rather than a reactive way. You can save money through planning. You know how this works: think about those times you went to the grocery without your shopping list. Having a clear-cut plan is a great way to reduce stress and cut down on physical strain. It’s always wise not to launch a challenging project until you have clearly defined your options and outlined a back-up strategy.

5 Tips To Decrease The Cost Of Caregiving:

1. Get started on your plan immediately. Our culture is not especially advanced in terms of recognizing the realities of aging, disability and death. It’s always difficult to set out on an uphill climb; similarly, the first conversation you have with your parents about the care they are eventually going to need will be tough.
2. Map out a plan to help guide you. Talk to your parents about what they want to happen if they begin to require outside assistance for most of their needs. When you get an answer you can work with, take a proactive approach and develop a comprehensive care plan. Do some research into the various types of long-term care insurance available. Make sure all the appropriate legal documents are drawn up. Determine who would make medical choices for your parents if they were no longer able to make sound decisions themselves, and be sure to consult some of the common guiding principles for such choices.
3. Utilize available personal and community resources. There are numerous community resources to help you with this, and you may know people who are professionally trained in this area who would be willing to work with you. Caregiving for these older people should be a family job, with everyone contributing something. Children can play a very special role by coloring pictures for their grandparents and calling when possible. Find services in your area that will lighten your caregiver’s load. If you live in the same community as your parents, ask the people you know to give you suggestions for resources that could help you out.
4. Be cost-conscious. There are generic versions of some types of medicine, and many stores and restaurants offer senior discounts. But not all cost-saving deals are as well known. In some states, funding is available to buy phones for the hearing-impaired, or the visually or mobility-limited elderly, or to pay for safety upgrades around the home.
5. Stay healthy. It’s also very important for you to take good care of yourself. When you’re operating at your best, you’ll be a better caregiver. Eat right, and get plenty of sleep and exercise. Stress management is vital, so take time every day to do something nurturing for yourself. As a caregiver, your risk is high for a number of physical and emotional ailments, such as anxiety, depression, and a weakened immune system. If you notice substantial, troubling changes in your sleep, or you experience a loss of appetite or diminished interest in activities you used to enjoy, talk to your doctor.And yet despite all of these medical and financial situations caregivers may encounter, the majorities say they received far more than they gave when assisting their elderly parents. Most of them would agree to do it again, if necessary – and sometimes it is.The primary issue isn’t the personal cost of caregiving; the value you bring to the lives of those who need you is what matters most. It’s a privilege to assist those who gave you life, and to help them enjoy their last years with love and dignity. What price are you willing to pay for that?

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