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Are you concerned about your aging parent staying alone at home, worried that they are confused about things, or calling you more often for help? Most likely, the idea of introducing homecare to them has also hit you. It's probably the best solution that you can offer your parents who are living alone.
Personal care services for seniors range from cooking, cleaning, taking care of their personal hygiene, and any health requirements. If you decide to do these tasks yourself, you could end up compromising the quality time you spend together. This can deny you the pleasure that comes with visiting your parents.
It can be worse when there's some form of injury, disability, or chronic illness involved, such as paraplegia. Seniors with physical difficulties and intellectual disabilities would, however, require full-time companion and monitoring. To achieve this, thorough preparation is necessary both emotionally and materially.
You will need to invest in:
1. Proper Healthcare Service
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Medical support services are essential for seniors who have some form of illness and can be provided by trained professionals. These professionals may include social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and certified nursing assistants. Hospice services can be provided from home as well.
In most cases, it's either a licensed doctor or a nurse practitioner who recommends and oversees the home health services. These services may involve giving medications, a regular change of IV bags, wound cleaning, and dressing. Getting these procedures from home can be relaxing and personalized, thus offering maximum comfort.
You will need to budget for the healthcare services alongside necessary items like bedpans, diapers, incontinent briefs, gloves, wipes, and antiseptic gels. Equip the nurses and companion givers with everything they need to make their work easier. Picking an ideal caregiver should be tied around meeting the home-based seniors' immediate and most pressing needs.
2. Home Modification and Maintenance
Modification becomes necessary in situations where the senior's mobility is limited. Accessibility and comfort are the target goals during modification. Installation of a bathroom on the ground floor, grab bars at the staircases and shower, as well as the creation of ramps can make movement easier.Maintaining the home and ensuring the smooth running of chores can be a daunting task for seniors. It's unlikely that your parents will manage to take care of laundry, housekeeping, gardening, shopping, and compound maintenance. Hiring someone to perform these tasks will improve their lifestyle while giving you some peace of mind.
3. Healthy Meal Planning and Preparation
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Your ultimate goal should be making mealtimes something your loved one yearns for each day. You can better the experience by planning theme nights, inviting guests over, or trying out some new exotic dish a few times every week. Once your loved one starts looking forward to meals, he or she may be more appreciative of mealtimes.
In situations where your loved one may love cooking but tends to stick to unhealthy dishes, you or the home care assistant may chip in by adding more nutritious options to the menu. There are a lot of healthy recipes online that are perfectly balanced for a senior’s diet. Get the seniors involved in picking out new recipes.
4. Ideal Grooming and Bathroom Assistance
Whether it's you doing it or a caregiver, offering bathing and grooming assistance for your loved ones can be an enjoyable experience. Seniors face understandable challenges as they become older,, making them unable to perform everyday tasks such as shaving, bathing, and grooming. It becomes another person's duty to ensure that their hygiene is in check.To achieve this, you will need good practice. If a bathtub is present, then it'll serve as a preferable option over a shower stall. But, if your loved one prefers a shower experience, go with that. Ensure that there is an installed bath mat in place to provide safety and extra support.
Always ensure that water temperatures are appropriate and that all bathroom essentials are present before the bathing process starts. These should include shampoos, sponges, wash rags, conditioners, and towels. Gently towel pat for drying. When they need grooming, use a good electric shaver as it’s a safer and easier to use option.
5. Proper Transport Arrangements and Mobility Assistance
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This calls for round the clock assistance and investment in the appropriate mobility tools and accessories like a wheelchair, walking rods, and straps to help in leg lifting. Whenever your loved one needs to travel, there should be a caregiver present for any assistance and appropriate mobility aids. Regular exercises, too, would go a long way in keeping muscles well-coordinated and functional.
