Are You Making the Care Decisions That Are Right for Your Elderly Loved One?
Being a family caregiver for your elderly loved one is a tremendous responsibility. When you agree to take on this role, you are committing to giving of your time, energy, effort, and resources to meet your aging loved one’s physical, mental, emotional, and cognitive needs on a regular basis. Depending on the particular needs that your senior has and any conditions that they might be
Senior Care in Plainview NY: Are You Making the Care Decisions That Are Right for Your Elderly Loved One?
facing, this may mean integrating care efforts for your parent into your daily routine. While you are juggling all of your care tasks for your senior as well as everything that you must do for your children, your partner, your home, your career, and any other obligations that you might have, you likely worry that you are not making the decisions that are truly right for your elderly loved one. Taking the time to evaluate the decisions that you make for your parent can help you to feel more confident in the care that you give, and help your senior live the highest quality of life possible as they age in place.
Use these tips to help ensure that you are making the care decisions that are right for your elderly loved one:
- Tell them why you are seeking care for them. Talk to your parent about the specific needs and challenges that you have noticed so that they understand why you are making the care decisions that you are. This can give them the chance to tell you how they feel about their need for care and about any of the specific care needs that you might need to fulfill for them.
- Talk about their comfort level with your care. One of the care decisions that you might need to make for your elderly parent is how much care that you will give them directly. While it might seem easier for you to take care of everything yourself, it might not be what is right for your aging parent. Keep in mind that your parent comes from a time when modesty and personal privacy were much more important and pressing than they are now. The thought of you helping them with care tasks that could be sensitive it nature, such as bathing, toileting, or dressing could be extremely uncomfortable for your loved one and make it harder for them to accept your care. Having a care provider handle tasks such as this for your parent can ease stress and give your parent a better quality of life.
- Monitor them as a whole person. Caring for your elderly parent is not just about making sure that their physical needs are met effectively and efficiently. Instead, you must also think about their mental and emotional health as well. Pay close attention to how your parent responds to each of your care decisions from all angles. This will allow you to identify any gaps in your care or make meaningful modifications to care decisions that might not be working properly for your loved one.
Starting senior care for your aging loved one can be one of the most and most impactful decisions that you can make for them throughout the course of your care journey with them. A senior home care services provider can be with your aging parent on a fully customizable schedule that is designed not just to ensure that their physical needs, challenges, and limitations are met, but also that their mental, emotional, and cognitive needs are addressed as well. This means that your parent is able to live a safe, healthy, happy, comfortable, and fulfilling lifestyle while also pursuing independence and activity that is right for them.
If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Plainview, NY, please contact the caring staff at Family First Home Companions. Serving all of Long Island. Call today: (631) 319-3961
Jennifer has specialized training in Alzheimer’s disease through the Long Island Alzheimer’s Association and the Long Island Alzheimer’s Foundation.She also volunteered her time with the Alzheimer's Disease Assistance Center of Long Island for 3 years by providing cognitive stimulation to an Alzheimer’s patient group.
Jennifer educates the community about elder care and speaks to caregiver support groups, senior centers, and at professional organizations.Topics include home safety, effective strategies for family caregiving, elder care planning, and awareness about elder abuse.
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