Managing Your Parents’ Needs—And Yours

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managing-parents-needs-blog

Helping Your Parents Stay in their Homes Longer

As your parents age, knowing how to help them stay in their home while adequately offering assistance can be difficult. However, understanding which signs indicate they need help is the first step toward being able to assist them effectively. Likewise, when it’s apparent that your parent requires more support than what you’re capable of giving, it’s important to understand your options regarding home care. Lastly, make sure you ask for assistance from other family members. Supporting your parent as they age is challenging, but asking for help from a sibling can help.

Looking For Signs Your Parent Requires Help

If you and your siblings have spent most of your adult lives away from the family home, the holidays are an opportunity to witness changes in your parents’ personalities. USA Today has a good article on how the holidays are an opportunity to witness any “off” behavior. For example: has your mom or dad put supper in the oven only to forget about it entirely? Have you found the milk in the bathroom cabinet or the toothbrush in the fridge? Although these may seem harmless, if strange behaviors repeat, they may be a red flag.

Adding Physical Supports Around The Home

Even if your parent is still cognitively alert, they may require more physical help. For your parents’ safety, it’s essential to understand their limitations around the home, even if they don’t. The first step in creating a safe home for your senior parent is to clear out the clutter. Whether you’re welcoming your parent into your home or helping them to organize their own, reducing anything they may trip over will ensure their safety. Secondly, using baby gates to protect your parent from steep stairs will lessen the chance of them tumbling down in the middle of the night. Lastly, installing handrails and around the home will allow them to move around independently.

Don’t Go Through it Alone

If you suspect your parent or parents may need more help than they’re indicating, the holidays offer a perfect opportunity for a family meeting on how to best support their advanced needs. Ultimately, implementing changes in your parent’s life is difficult, but any changes may be better received if they are realized in a family discussion. However, whether you decide to hire home care to help them remain in their house longer, or move them into your home, asking for another family member’s assistance will help to facilitate the changes.

Contact Us

If you feel that your parent or loved one would benefit from some external help, contact us. And remember, home care isn’t just for the individual who needs assistance, but for the caregiver as well.

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