How To Take Care Of Your Aging Parents At Home

Aging is inevitable, and as your parents get older, they need extra care to maintain their overall health and still experience a better quality of life. However, caring for your aging parents can be overwhelming, especially if you have a busy working schedule.

Caring for aging parents at home doesn’t have to be complicated. Regardless of their needs, you have plenty of options you can consider to ensure their wellbeing. One of these options is working with service providers like Home Nursing with Heart or similar institutions for the best home care that your aging parents require.

Below are the other ways to take care of your aging parents at home:

1. Determine How Much Care Is Needed

When it comes to caregiving, most people become overwhelmed by the long list of their aging parents’ needs. To avoid this, it’s best to focus on what matters most to them and determine how much care your aging parents require.

It would help to take one step at a time in ensuring your elderly parents are well taken care of. For example, create a list of weekly, daily, and monthly care tasks. This will help you understand how much assistance they require at night, during the daytime, and on weekends. This way, you’ll know how much supervision is needed and at which time of the day.

A simple way to make a complete list is to have a notebook and jot it down each time your aging parents ask for help on something. After spending a week with them, you’ll get an overview of their needs and what you can do to address them. Just remember to keep the note-taking going, as their needs may change as time goes by.

2. Make Safety A Priority

Caring for your aging parents will need extra precautions. For example, you may need to prepare alternative sleeping arrangements to ensure their safety. If they live in a two-story house, keeping them on the ground level is essential to avoid accidents.

You can do other things to make your home safe for your aging parents. Here are some of them:

• Get Rid Of Fire Hazards

In case of fire, your aging parents might not be able to move as swiftly or quickly as possible. Therefore, minimizing fire hazards in your home and installing warning devices is crucial.

You can install smoke detectors near appliances, bedrooms, and the kitchen. Their batteries must be checked regularly, and don’t forget to test them to know whether or not they’re functioning.

Moreover, having a fire extinguisher on every floor of your home is also an excellent idea. In addition, check every appliance for functioning emergency shutoffs and frayed cords during your free time. If you don’t want to deal with faulty electrical systems, you can hire an electrician to help you.

• Check The Bedroom For Potential Hazards

A bedroom tends to collect clutter and bulky furniture, which isn’t ideal for the elderly to navigate at night. Adding low lighting is the first step to making the bedroom safer. Alternatively, you can add more easy-to-access storage and remove unnecessary objects like rugs.

• Assess Your Home Lighting

Good lighting can make your home feel welcoming and warm, but it can also add an element of safety. A well-lit hallway is easier to navigate. In addition, rooms with good lighting make hazards easier to avoid and see. Furthermore, kitchens and bathrooms with bright light make it safer to cook and take showers.

If possible, opt for lighting fixtures with motion sensors to avoid the need to find the switch. Regarding the bulb type, avoid using halogen bulbs because they can get hot and may cause fire. While you can opt for an incandescent bulb, light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs are much better in terms of energy costs and lifespan.

• Make Stairs Safer And Easier To Use

A staircase with well-tacked-down carpeting, clutter-free, and a sturdy railing will let your aging parents access the downstairs and upstairs without risks. Depending on your budget, you can consider installing stair lifts, especially if your aging parents have mobility issues.

• Invest In Smart Home Security Systems

Investing in a smart home security system can make your property safer and benefit your aging parents. Generally, these systems allow you or your aging parents to control door locks and lighting, making it easy for everyone to ensure everything is turned off and locked.

Some smart home security systems also have health alert features. Such features allow your aging parents to press the panic button in an emergency. With just a push of the alert buttons, emergency personnel will be alerted immediately and provide quick assistance to your aging parents.

• Give Your Bathroom Extra Attention

A wet environment can create potential health hazards. Fortunately, there are various ways to modify your bathroom and make it safer for your aging parents.

For example, you can install grab bars in the shower, tub, or near the toilet to make the bathroom easy to navigate and prevent possible accidents like falls. Aside from grab bars, you can also consider adding non-skid bath mats, shower seats, and handheld showers.

Meanwhile, if you’re building a new bathroom or remodeling your existing bathroom, you might want to design it with your aging parent’s needs in mind. Even if your senior loved one doesn’t need a wheelchair now, they may require one in the future. Hence, it would help to make your layout and entry wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair.

As shown here, these tips can provide safety for your aging parents.

3. Set Reasonable Expectations

Once you know your aging parent’s needs, it’s time to figure out how much care you can give. Checking your to-do list will help you realize whether or not you need assistance with other tasks. In your assessment, think about how much care you can provide without causing harm to your health.

Remember that if you take on too many tasks, you’ll eventually develop a health condition or suffer from burnout, leaving you unable to care for anybody. To prevent that, be proactive and look for ways to get the assistance you need to stay healthy while providing the best care possible to your aging parents.

4. Help Your Aging Parents Stay Active

Aging parents need care but may also need independence, regardless of their health condition. If this is the case with your aging parents, help them stay active and independent by giving your full support. Help them where they need it most, and let them do whatever they want as long as they’re still capable.

For instance, if they can’t drive, provide them an alternative transport to meet their friends, go to their doctor’s clinic, and shop without relying on you. You can also offer them access to senior transportation services, taxi chits, volunteer transportation services, and more.

5. Consider Hiring In-Home Caregivers

It may benefit you and your aging parents further if you hire an in-home caregiver. While finding the best one takes significant effort, it’ll be worth it once you’re able to reduce stress, take regular breaks, and minimize your workload.

If you’re still unsure about hiring an in-home caregiver, here are the benefits of working with the right one:

• Ensure One-On-One Care

In-home caregivers provide one-on-one care to your aging parents, allowing them to enjoy an improved quality of life. These professionals also ensure your aging parents are well-taken care of. And since they only focus on your aging parents, they can be more attentive to their needs.

• Promote Better Nutrition

An in-home caregiver can help seniors with meal preparation, which includes grocery shopping and cooking healthy recipes. This helps in ensuring your aging parents will only eat nutritious meals.

Proper nutrition is necessary for the elderly because it reduces the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. Eating healthy can also help your aging parents sleep better and gain muscle strength.

• Lessen The Risk Of Falls

One of the primary causes of fractures, traumas, and infections is falling. Due to weak muscle strength and poor vision, seniors are prone to falls. Having an in-home caregiver ensures their safety from collapsing or becoming injured. These professionals can also keep walkways and rooms clutter-free.

• Help With Medication Management

It’s common for aging parents to take multiple prescriptions as they age due to their health condition. Unfortunately, managing several medications can be challenging. If done improperly, your aging parents could end up in the hospital.

Through the help of an in-home caregiver, you can be assured that your aging parents will take the correct dosage and prescription at the right time. It’ll provide you peace of mind knowing they won’t skip their medications.

• Provide Companionship

Most seniors experience isolation. Some may withdraw from various social activities due to incontinence, mobility problems, and being overweight. With in-home caregivers, they can assist your aging parents in getting the social interaction they want.

They can also help your aging parents deal with insecurities and issues that may cause them to withdraw from several social activities.

As shown here, these benefits can help your aging parents.

6. Ensure Proper Nutrition

Your aging parents may not like eating what you prefer and may be unable to eat a particular food. However, providing them with proper nutrition entails more than just giving them what they want. But what if they’re experiencing difficulty chewing or swallowing?

The best way to meet your aging parents’ nutritional needs is to ask for suggestions from your healthcare provider. Depending on your budget and preferences, you can either prepare their meals at home or consider a food delivery service that offers meals for seniors.

On the other hand, you should be prepared for sudden palate changes. A common side effect of taking various medications is a change in the taste buds. However, even if your elderly parent isn’t on medications, taste buds may naturally change over time.

The changes in taste preferences can be challenging if your parents suddenly dislike foods rich in fiber, protein, or some specific snack. When it happens, understand that some foods may taste sour or bitter to your parents. Hence, it’s best to change their meals whenever necessary without compromising their nutrition.

7. Give Yourself Scheduled Breaks

Burnout is real. When you take care of your aging parents, it’s common to be under extreme stress, resulting in a lack of sleep, anxiety, and depression. To provide optimal care for your parents, you should also take care of yourself. This may include scheduling a night out with friends, going for workouts or daily walks, scheduling vacations, and eating well.

If you want to ensure that your aging parents are well and safe, ask a friend or family member to care for them on your behalf. If no one is available, you can consider the best hospice care services available in your area. This way, you can guarantee a professional can watch over your aging parents while you’re away.

8. Involve Other Members Of The Family

Taking care of aging parents can be stressful. That’s why it’s never a good idea to do it alone. If you have other siblings, you can share the responsibility with them. For example, suppose you have a sibling who’s good at scheduling appointments and managing finances. You can let them handle the financial aspects of your aging parents or oversee their doctor’s appointments.

When it’s clear that your aging parents need more focused attention, having someone who can take the lead is essential. However, juggling caregiving responsibilities and your personal needs may often result in tension.

Therefore, keeping your communication lines open is best to clear the tension and avoid misunderstandings and other problems. This is essential so that you and your family members develop mutual empathy for one another, leading to better care.

Conclusion

Caring for your aging parents at home may not be easy, but it can be a rewarding experience. However, regardless of your efforts in addressing your parents’ needs, chances are you’ll still need more resources and help along the way. Hence, to make things easier for you, use the above tips to effectively care for your aging parents at home.