As your parents grow older, their needs increase as well. As an adult child, you may feel like you’re a nurse, financial overseer, chauffeur, and therapist for your aging loved one. Hiring a senior home care provider assists you, so you can be a daughter or son again. Plus, it benefits your mom and dad to have the extra support.
Betters the Health of Your Aging Parents
Adverse health events happen more frequently in seniors taking multiple medications. Medication management provided by a senior home care provider reduces the chance of your loved one experiencing an adverse health event due to forgetting to take their prescription, or taking it incorrectly. Taking medication consistently is key to your loved one maintaining their overall health.
A fall is one of the leading causes of hospitalization among Canadian seniors. Unfortunately, after a fall, over one-third of seniors are then placed in a long-term care facility.
A senior home care provider works with your loved one to reduce risks for falls in their home. This may include a rearrangement of furniture, decluttering, and grab bar installations. They are able to address these problems and others by conducting a thorough in-home safety assessment.
Gives You Peace of Mind
As a child of an aging parent, your mind can be full of worry, and sometimes guilt. You may feel guilty that you aren’t visiting your mom enough or worried your dad may fall and no one will be there to help.
Hiring a senior home care provider releases you from this ever-present guilt and worry. You can rest assured someone is checking in with mom and that dad has the help he needs. This does wonders for your mental and emotional wellbeing.
Offers Companionship for Your Aging Parent
Loneliness can be experienced at any age. But, several factors make it more prevalent in old age, including hearing and vision loss, loss of mobility, and chronic diseases such as dementia. Social isolation can have a negative impact on your loved one’s health, similar to obesity or smoking cigarettes.
A home health care provider gives your aging parent the companionship they need to keep social isolation at bay. A caregiver and your loved one foster a relationship over time. They can go for walks, play card games, garden together, prepare meals together and more.
Frees Up Your Time, So You Can Care for Yourself and Others in Your Family
To keep going as a caregiver, you need respite and regular time to yourself. Caring for your aging loved one while maintaining your career, attending your own medical appointments and caring for your children can be exhausting. Senior home care gives you time back in your day so you can focus on other aspects of your life that are just as important as tending to your parents.