Home care in West Hollywood is more sought-after than ever. Over and over again, it proves to be the ideal choice for the elderly and their families. But despite the long history of home care and the vast range of home care options, not all elderly are equally willing to accept the presence of a caregiver in their life and their home. So how do you persuade your elderly loved one to be more open to the idea of having a caregiver?
How do you prepare for aging parents?
Wrapping one’s hand around the fact that those we love have to grow old is difficult. It requires us to make peace with the fact that losing our vitality, growing old and dying is inevitable. It is the circle of life. What we can do is try to enhance the quality of life and make life more fulfilling for our elderly parents without overburdening ourselves.
A professional caregiver can play a crucial role in making this transition easier and more smooth. A caregiver can perform many tasks to make the life of the elderly easier and better without making drastic changes. These include:
- Companionship, including assistance with walking and exercising
- Help with light housekeeping and taking care of pets and houseplants
- Transportation and assistance with shopping and running errands
- Assistance with incontinence issues and personal care
- Meal planning and preparation in accordance with doctor’s orders
How do you deal with stubborn aging parents?
Learning to deal with stubborn parents poses an enormous challenge, mainly because disagreements and conflicts can hardly be avoided. Dealing with stubborn aging parents is even more energy-draining and demanding. It requires us to keep a cool head and make decisions in our aging parents’ best interest when they are convinced they know best.
Try walking a mile in their shoes. They are growing old, might feel lonely, agitated or depressed, especially if they are dealing with an illness. Try to get them to understand that you are not oblivious to what they are going through, but that some things are out of your hands. You have to juggle numerous responsibilities and daily activities and being a family caregiver would not be a plausible long-term solution.
This should help them realize that by hiring a professional caregiver, you are not abandoning them. Just the opposite: you are trying to find the optimal solution that will allow them to keep their independence without feeling alone.
If you give your eldelry loved one the opportunity and the time to get to know their caregiver beforehand, you will accomplish two things. Firstly, you will show your elderly loved one how much you value their opinion in the matter and appreciate their input. Secondly, you will help the caregiver and your elderly loved one start off on the right foot and start to build rapport.
How do you convince an elderly person to get help?
The elderly living at home who do not need home health care services are often convinced that they can manage just fine on their own. It is even worse if your elderly loved one suffers from a condition affecting their behavior and cognitive functions, from memory to mental capacity, such as the many types of dementia.
This can make them even less willing to cooperate and next to impossible to reason with, which is exactly why you need a caregiver. A caregiver, who is thoroughly familiar with how dementia progresses, can truly make a difference in the patient’s life.
Either way, what you need to do is try to get them to see all the perks of having a caregiver by their side. For one thing, the thought of seeing a familiar face every day is reassuring in and of itself. For another, regular visits from a competent professional greatly reduce the risks that the eldelry living alone face day in, day out.
And there are other perks. Taking the dog for a walk at the West Hollywood Park & Dog Park does not need to be a rare treat anymore. They will no longer need to go to the grocery store or the doctor’s office alone. And who would object to having someone else cook for them and do their dishes?
As long as you take your time and have patience, your elderly loved one will get used to this new state of affairs, learn to appreciate it and start to look forward to each visit of their caregiver.
Professional home care in West Hollywood at your fingertips
If you’re looking for a way to make your elderly loved one’s life easier and better when you are not around to give them a helping hand or keep them company, A Better Way in Home Care is your best ally. We already boast a long and successful track record in introducing the elderly and their families to the finest, most competent caregivers in the whole area. Give us a call and let us turn over a new leaf together!
