While no one may be happily anticipating the day you have to care for an aging parent, it is a harsh reality. For those seniors who are lucky, they can live their lives and stay able to carry out the tasks of daily living.
However, illness or a terrible accident can put someone in a tight spot. It could be a slip in the bathroom, a car crash or a terrible illness that ends up changing your entire lives. When this happens, you are faced with numerous decisions and changes, for which you were not prepared.
A survey shows that majority of elderly citizens in need of senior care prefer to receive it from the comfort of their homes. Their sentiments are entirely understandable, since they have invested a lot of resources and memories in their homes.
A Better Way In Home Care provides quality senior care services throughout West Hollywood and its immediate surroundings. We would also like to give you some insight into senior home care that can help you take better care of your senior parent.
Prepare the home
If you prefer in-home care, you may be required to make a few adjustments to make the house safer and more comfortable for the senior. There are plenty of ways to help you with this. If the senior’s mobility is impaired, you may consider making the house more wheelchair-friendly from the bathroom to the stairs.
If you do not live together, you may want to visit them more frequently to ensure their safety.
Safeguard their health and safety
Poor management of medication is a leading cause for elderly people losing their independence to needing senior care. Therefore, it is crucial to make sure they take their medication properly.
It is high time you consider bringing someone in to help dad with a few tasks here and there. Tasks such as cooking and driving might be no longer safe for him. A Better Way In Home Care provides referrals for in-home care professionals all over West Hollywood. These professionals can help your elderly parent with many more tasks, including personal care and companionship.
It is prudent for senior adults to assign a healthcare proxy way before they even require senior care. This individual will be responsible for making all the crucial healthcare decisions on their behalf if they are unable.
Protect their finances
When your parent is in need of senior care, they can be extremely vulnerable to financial distress. The first cause of this could be the fact that they are on a fixed income and also that their cognitive abilities are fading. Most elderly people have a tendency to guard their financial information and independence.
It is high time you start talking about the money. Otherwise, your dad may end up racking up tens of thousands dollars in credit card debt before you can discover.
It would also be wise for mom to complete a durable power of attorney. This document will name the person in charge of controlling mom’s finances if she is unable.
It is only natural to start worrying about how you will pay for dad’s senior care. You may also need some extra money to make life more affordable for your senior parent. Taking out a reverse mortgage or applying for benefits that she may be eligible for will improve her cash flow situation.
Cases of telephone solicitations against senior citizens are common. Someone posing as a Medicare salesman may call your elderly mom and ask for her social security number. Thinking that it may help to pay for her in-home care, she may give it out and become a victim of a scam. It is prudent to have their credit reports checked now and then.
Keep them socially connected
As the losses related to aging increase, seniors can become isolated and susceptible to depression. In-home care providers can be a source of companionship for your dad when you are not around. To spice things up, seniors can also find congregate meals where they can eat with their peers.
Also, there are numerous adult day programs in West Hollywood where your senior parent can spend some time and socialize with other senior adults.