Elder Care Connect

Caring for Elderly Parents in 9 Simple Ways

Posted on 21. Jun, 2010 by admin in General

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.

Tags: Care Giving, Caregiver, caring for elderly parents, elderly care, elderly parents, home care