CCaring for aging parents at home can get quite challenging. Read on to find out how you can go about meeting their requirements better.
Many of us decide early to never admit our aging parents to a nursing home, while many of us want to respect the wishes of our parents who want to stay with us in their old age. Such reasons, and many others, may convince caregivers to care for their elders at home. And it is a wonderful thing to do as long as all the concerned people are safe and well-taken care of.
You have to remember that you may face a considerable risk of suffering from burnout if you decide to take on this very stressful undertaking. You must, therefore, be prepared for that responsibility, acknowledging the fact that you simply can’t be running at 110% every day.
Living in Fullerton, like any other city in the USA, means you need to ask for help to carry out your responsibilities and stay healthy. There are home care services Fullerton that can reduce the workload of caring for aging parents and decrease your stress in the process.
Go through our list below to find out how you can make the process easier.
Assess How Much Care Is Required
When caring for an aging parent at home, you need to see the overall picture. It is normal for you to get overwhelmed with the big list of things required to care for elderly people. So, you first need to identify the exact care needs of your aging parent. You need to know the amount of care required for the different times of the day and during weekends.
Create a list of the care tasks by devising them into monthly, weekly, and daily tasks so you can understand which part of the day requires certain amounts of supervision. You can do this easily by making notes on a notepad every time you or someone else aids your older adult with any task. This way, by the end of the week, you will have a good understanding of the amount of help your elder requires at different times of the day.
Understand Your Capabilities
After you know the extent of help required by your aging parent, you can figure out how much of it you can provide yourself and how much help you will require from a caregiver. The list you devised may give you an understanding that you may need help with a few of the tasks. You need to assess just how much of the care you provide on your own without causing harm to your own health.
Trying to take on too many responsibilities may cause you to burn out and develop a serious health condition that might leave you unable to provide care for your aging parent. Staying in Fullerton, you can look into a few avenues to get the help you need to carry on as a caregiver.
Take Caregiving Assistance
Even though it might appear that you will have to spend a lot of time and effort on locating some caregiving help, you have to realize that the investment will definitely pay off in the future. Finding the right help will allow you to take more regular breaks, bring down your workload, and reduce the stress you face. So, it is definitely worth the patience, creative thinking, and effort you put into finding the right caregiver.
You need to have a flexible attitude and an open mind when seeking out the right help. You can consult the list you made to know exactly what type of help you require from a caregiver. Some options for help from external caregivers might be to get your aging parent enrolled in an adult day program where they will have the option to get the care they need and also be able to socialize with other elderly people. Or, you can hire in-home caregivers. This way, as they care for your aging parent, you can grab some rest.
You can use meal-providing services to save time preparing meals. You can also ask friends or family to help with errands and housekeeping.
Share the Workload
The responsibility of caring for your aging elder also falls on your siblings and close relatives. Don’t hesitate to ask them to chip in and do their share, regardless of how great a job you are doing. This will allow you to take much-needed breaks every now and then. Although it might not be easy to have family members contribute, it might involve having to move your aging parents to a sibling’s place.
One of your siblings, also living in Fullerton, can come and stay at your place to take care of your aging parents every other week so you can get away. You have to handle their volunteering to help creatively. No situation will be absolutely perfect for you. Just remember that whatever help you can get from them will lessen your workload.
Try to Ease Financial Pressure
Another aspect to consider is the financial burden of caring for your aging parent at home. Reducing caregiving costs can decrease the pressure and stress of this financial burden.
There are various benefit programs run by the government and private sector to help you with the costs. You can also earn some money by getting paid as a caregiver for other families. You can also try to reduce the cost of buying prescription drugs.
Make them Feel Appreciated
Take time out of your busy schedule and let them feel appreciated and loved. Let them know you love having them with you. Handmade gifts are a heartfelt way to show the seniors in your life how much you care. Consider creating a cozy no-sew fleece blanket, a personalized photo album filled with cherished memories, or homemade cookies. A DIY coupon book with offers for household help, tech assistance, or quality time together can be incredibly meaningful. If they enjoy gardening, a decorated flower pot with a small plant adds a special touch. Handcrafted gifts for seniors not only bring joy but also remind them they are loved and appreciated.
Final Encouragement
Caring for aging parents at home is a challenge that you must be totally prepared to face. Hopefully, reading this article will help you better prepare for this undertaking. Best of luck with your journey. There are benefits to using software to help organize task management, etc.
Featured Photo by John Moeses Bauan on Unsplash
