You may be wondering whether your senior needs more help or not and that can cause you to step back for fear of stepping on her toes. On the contrary, it’s more important than ever to start getting some answers for both of you.
Drill Down to the Details
It’s really important to get the clearest picture possible about what your elderly family member needs most. You’re going to need to really dig into exactly what sort of help she needs and how much help is required. This involves looking at things like your senior’s safety at home, her physical and cognitive health, her ability to take care of herself, and her current socialization levels.
Keep Your Senior Involved and Assess What You Can Handle
You really need to keep your elderly family member involved in this process. This is her life, after all, and she needs to have input on what happens. You also need to be honest with yourself and with her about just what you can do. Your own health and other obligations may be much bigger factor than you realize.
Address Safety Concerns First
Once you’ve got a picture of what’s happening, address any safety concerns right away. Safety hazards are a huge concern overall because of how much they impact your senior’s life and her ability to continue to age in place. Deal with home maintenance issues and make sure that you look at things like fall prevention, general cleanliness, and where your senior needs additional help with maintaining those.
Explore Options for Home Care
As much as you might want to be the one there for your elderly family member whenever she needs help, that might not be as feasible as you hope. That’s why hiring home care providers can be an excellent solution. They can assist your aging family member with dressing, meals, and so much more. They’re also wonderful companions, who can help your senior to avoid feeling lonely, especially if she’s not able to be as socially active as she used to be.
Make Sure Your Senior Has Communication Plans
Setting up a communication plan is also important for your senior. She needs to be able to keep in touch with you and with other people who care about her. If it’s difficult for your senior to do that now, you need to develop a plan. That might mean getting her a phone that’s easier to use or ensuring that she’s got phone numbers in her phone as well as in a printed list she can read easily.
Understanding your senior’s needs now and in the immediate future is so crucial to helping her to have the tools that she needs.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering home care in Frederick, MD please contact the caring staff at Just Divine Home Care Agency today at (301) 219-1585.