As we grow, our parents age. With aging comes physical and cognitive deterioration. Time or distance often deter you to take special care of your parents as they get older. Home healthcare not only ensures your loved one’s quality of life and happiness but eases your life as well. It’s always in the best interests of your loved ones to do so. Having said that, its important to understand the challenges that come in the way of the family members in taking care of their aging parents.
Constant state of Denial
As kids, your parents took care of your needs, nurtured you towards your career path, and ensured your safety and security. With aging, the parenting roles often reverse. Many elderly have difficulty leaning on their children for support as they get older. They may be embarrassed asking for outside help or elder care home services to take care of their daily activities. They value their independence and view such services as invading their privacy. They are often reluctant to spend on themselves—consider it as luxury. Since it's the family that takes care of the home healthcare expenses generally, the elderly vehemently avoids any discussions on it. These could be reasons well enough for their constant state of denial.
Physical and Emotional Distance
As our lives evolve, so do our relationships with our parents. Professional priorities and commitments increase the physical and emotional distances over time. This makes it more difficult to express your love and concern for them. For your loved ones, social circles dwindle, and health problems may increase. Social isolation and loneliness engross their thoughts. That’s likely what most of our elders go through. Asking about a transition in their home healthcare management can be invasive, and put you in an emotional grinder of sadness, hurt, and anger. Remember that you cannot fully understand what they are going through. Their life experience is different from yours, and so are their decisions. Make sure that you express your concern for them by lending your love, support, and empathy while communicating.
Finding the right caregiver
Planning and executing a change in your loved one’s lifestyle, like engaging elder care home services requires strength and patience. Figuring out their needs, understanding the options, and making the final decision can be overwhelming. You want the best hands to care for your loved ones but also don’t want to take away their independence. The elderly need care and dignity that respect their boundaries. Most caregivers focus on physical health needs, while completely overlooking the various aspects of emotional needs— just as important as their physical health. Since Covid-19 has made it difficult to receive help from neighbours and friends, well-trained caregivers who can become your extended family can provide you some peace of mind.
Financial Constraints
Even as you grapple with emotional and psychological stress, financial stress may sometime occupy your mind. This is because home healthcare benefits do not get covered under Medicare or other health insurance policies. It has more to do with the evolution of the entire home healthcare ecosystem, where government support and accreditation are the need of the hour. In the current scenario, identifying the elderly’s unique needs and engaging a personalized elderly care service at home can ease some of your financial burdens.
How to combat the challenges of elderly caring?
Whether you are a primary caregiver or dependent on elder care home services, caring for your elderly loved one is always a rewarding experience. But it does not come without its share of challenges. Old age being a sensitive phase of life, we look at some of the ways to navigate those challenges to enable your loved one to age with dignity.
Show them you care
: A warm smile and shared laughter can foster emotional connection and trigger positive feelings. Hugging, touching, and holding your parent’s hand convey affection and care. Spending quality time with them can be more expressive than words can do.
Understand their needs
: Besides medical attention as part of aging, the elderly have diverse needs most often go unnoticed. Whether it’s the emotional and social needs, or support in daily activities, understanding their specific needs can help your loved one age as comfortably and independently as possible.
Be empathetic to their situation
: Showing empathy for your loved one when they are no longer physically independent or emotionally stressed, is key to aging well. A good caregiver is also a good listener who finds their concerns important.
Involve them in key decisions, including care arrangement
: Most elderly view external help or elder care home services as invading their privacy. Rather than imposing a decision on their care arrangement, involve and encourage your loved one to decide on the type of care and support they would like to receive.
Keep your communication simple and straightforward
: The more you keep your communication simple and easy to understand, your loved one is more likely to be okay with something they would typically resist or show a lot of reluctance.
Benefits of professional caregiving for the elderly
As much as you wish to care for your loved one on your own, juggling between caregiving responsibilities and professional commitments can be emotionally overwhelming. At some point, you may consider hiring trusted and professional elder care home services to help your loved one age in place. The benefits are multifold, and these can be medical, non-medical, social, and emotional. Here are some of the advantages:
Receiving personalized care in the comfort of home:
Home is the beloved and the most desired place where the elderly wish to spend their twilight years. Not only the elderly receives a personalized and undivided care, they feel more comfortable receiving it in their familiar settings, without losing their independence.
Personalized and flexible care arrangements to suit the elderly’s needs
Aging patterns can be different for every elderly, and so are their needs. Professional caregivers are trained to provide assistance and support in
- Medical and nursing care for chronic conditions or that requires medication administration, monitoring, or physiotherapy
- Personal care and hygiene needs like bathing, dressing, grooming, toilet functions, etc.
- Housekeeping, shopping, meal preparation, etc.
- Travel and technology assistance
- Paperwork and form-filling
- Companionship to avert loneliness
Since caregivers can be hired full-time or on an hourly basis, elder care home services are more flexible and cost-effective to suit your needs.
Peace of mind to family members: Professional caregivers understand the aging process well and can deal with every situation, however complex, compassionately. It provides relief and satisfaction to the family members whose professional life might have kept them miles apart.
Safest form of care in the current scenario: While the threat of new Covid-19 variants is still there, receiving care at home is undoubtedly the safest option for the vulnerable elderly.
A professional caregiver’s assistance is a safe option for your elderly parents with Dementia or other complex medical conditions. But before you can help your elderly loved one, you need to understand their situation. At Senocare, our caring and compassionate Care Managers understand the physical, emotional, and social needs of the elderly to help them thrive in a way as you would want to be.
Call us today at+91 8800 003 046 or email us at [email protected] for more details on our 24x7 personalized elder care home services.
