If you are new to caregiving or you are considering taking care of your aging parents, then you are here at the right place. When it comes to taking care of your aging parents, you should ideally want to aim for the best – not only for your parents but also for yourself.
Read on to learn more about the best tips when taking care of aging parents.
Opt for Home Delivery
Now, as parents get older, they face mobility issues, which means that they might not be able to run errands as they used to. They might also have trouble walking and moving around – not only outside but also inside the house.
So, in this case, the best thing you can do for your parents is to arrange to get everything home-delivered. Running errands requires not only time but also energy. On that note, you might want to make Amazon your best friend and make the lives of your aging parents easier.
Deliver Meals
When it comes to old age, you might start noticing that your parents aren’t as active as they used to be. If you live far away, you might want to visit your parents frequently to check on them. Look out for signs, such as dishes getting stacked in the kitchen, skipped meals, and lack of hygiene.
Your parents might not tell you as they might fear they would have to move out to a caregiver facility – but if they are still somewhat independent, you can make life easier for them by hiring an at-home caregiver and getting their meals delivered to them.
Also, if you decide to take care of your parents, you will be saving yourself time by getting meals delivered, as your parents might want to have their meals earlier or later.
Prevent Bedsores
If your aging parents spend most of their time lying and sitting, they are at a higher risk of getting a bedsore. The bedsore is also known as a pressure ulcer. Luckily, there are several ways you can prevent bedsores from forming.
As a starting point, you might want to keep the skin of your aging loved one clean and dry. You will want to check their skin regularly for red areas, especially over the bony areas, such as heels, hips, and elbows.
It is important to mention here that pressure ulcers can form in as little as four to six hours, which is why you should change their position or encourage them to change their position or walk – if they are able to. You should do this every two hours to prevent bedsores.
Now, if your aging parents are in the care of a nursing home and you detect they have bedsores, you might want to get in touch with a nursing home abuse lawyer, as bedsores are a sign of inadequate care negligence in the elderly.
However, if you are the primary caregiver of your aging parents, make sure to use pillows behind their backs to help prevent bedsores.
Set Boundaries
If you have just started caring for your parents, you might want to be crystal clear about your availability, such as the number of hours that you are available or the specific days of the week that you could come by.
Now, sometimes, as parents get older, they experience mood fluctuation and immense irritability, to the point that it might cause them to act abusive towards you. Still, you need to stay empathetic while setting clear boundaries regarding what you will and will not accept.
Also, if you live far away, your parents might call you in the middle of the night or a couple of times a day. If this happens, you will want to be clear regarding the number of calls that you will be able to answer every day.
Educate Yourself on Your Parent’s Illness
If your aging parents suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s, you will be doing yourself a great favor by learning about these conditions early. Sit with their doctor and talk about the condition your parents have. This way, you will know what to expect and get all of your questions answered, especially how things will progress through time.
While you are at it, you will also learn about the productive and supportive ways that you can respond to your aging parents. We recommend that you also learn about the potential responses that are going to act more like triggers and actually do more harm than good by escalating a bad situation.
Talk to Your Parents About Their Wishes
Once you see that your aging parents are getting seriously ill and that they depend on you or their caregivers for everything, you should talk to your parents about their life wishes now while they can. When it comes to asking them about their wishes, allow them to be a part of their decisions regarding their final years and which nursing facility they might prefer.
Also, let them have a say about their finances and assets. Hire a lawyer for them if they haven’t one already so they can prepare their final will and decide what happens to their assets after their life.
Get Used to Having Help
Now, the thing about taking care of aging parents is that you might fail to be available all the time as you have a job and other responsibilities as well. On that note, you might prepare for your aging parents to live with you or move near them – but – you will still need professional help, which is why it is incredibly important for you to get used to having help inside the house or when you are not around.
Final Thoughts
Taking care of aging parents is part of life, but it doesn’t come easy. This aspect indicates the importance of respite – even when it is by doing something as simple as deep breathing for half a minute or indulging in 15-minute yoga. You can also journal or read a book – the point is that you must take some time out for yourself and reconnect with yourself.
