A Guide to Caring for Elderly Parents

Visit Often

It is important to visit them often. They need social interaction with you and you get the reassurance that they are safe, healthy and in general, doing well. During your visit, it’s always best to check around the house for any issues that may need to be addressed such as the overall cleanliness of the house or if anything is broken that may need to be fixed. Also, do a routine check of their food supply, laundry, mail, and plants.

Check Their Medications

Be sure that they are appropriately supplied with their medications. All their prescriptions must be filled and refilled as needed. If they are on some medications, it is best to buy a pillbox organizer with compartments labeled with the days of the week as well as AM and PM doses. This can help simplify their medication-taking process. Also, if a new medication is prescribed, be sure to ask the doctor or pharmacist about potential side effects or possible interactions with current medications.

Hire Help

There may be a need to hire a helper, aide, or caretaker. This could be someone who helps your loved one with their daily activities such as showering, errands, or housekeeping. If it isn’t someone you know personally, then you should always check references or go through a licensed agency. This may need to be a budgeted expense or it may be a resource that is available for a nominal fee or for free depending on if your loved one qualifies.

Make Modifications in Their Home

It is best to take a good look around their home and assess what may be a safety hazard. Some may be simple fixes while other modifications may be more involved. These include:

• Installing a ramp for wheelchairs or walkers.
• Installing handrails and grab bars at the toilet and shower.
• Installing a raised toilet.
• Testing (or installing) smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Checking the overall lighting in the house to make sure it is bright enough.
• Plugging in a few auto-sensor nightlights throughout the home so they can see if they wake up at night.
• Making sure there are non-skid mats or strips in the shower or bathtub or any other potentially slippery areas of the house.
• Removing extra clutter that is lying around or furniture that is in the way.
• Removing small rugs.
• Making sure cables, cords, and wires are safely tucked away to prevent potential falls.

Talk Openly About Their Finances

Most times your elderly loved ones are not comfortable or willing to talk about their finances. But you must try to have open discussions about their finances, especially if they live on a fixed income or there is a budget to be adhered to.

Take Care of the Important Paperwork

Make sure everything is up-to-date and completed when it comes to their important paperwork such as their will or power of attorney. It is not an easy conversation but it is essential. Once the task is done, it will give you both peace of mind.

Watch for Driving Issues

There may come a time when your loved one may no longer be able to drive due to their declining cognitive abilities and reaction time while on the road. It is important to assess their driving abilities and when it does become an issue, offer other options that may help such as hiring a driver or using a delivery service for groceries.

Keep Them Active

It is important to keep your elderly loved one active and involved. Exercise is important to keep them healthy. Unfortunately, it is not unusual for the elderly to become isolated and lonely or even suffer from depression especially if they have lost their spouse. They must remain involved with their family and friends or they may even want to venture out and make new friends. There are many resources in your community that offer things to do and places to go that will help your loved one stay social and active.

Supply Healthy Meals

Your loved one may not have the ability or desire to cook for themselves. They must be well fed to stay healthy. You can prepare meals in advance for them. You can check into Meals on Wheels to see if they qualify. There are also many other deliverable meal plan options that your loved one may enjoy. Some of these meal plans can even accommodate special requests such as diabetic meals.

Keep an Eye on Them

If you are somewhat tech-savvy, you can install a camera or type of motion sensor to keep watch over them or that will alert you if something is wrong. A Life Alert system is another option but you must convince them to wear the alert button at all times.

Arrange a Schedule

It is best to try to arrange a schedule between you and other family members to help your elderly loved one when it comes to bathing, doctor appointments, errands, shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc. If necessary, you may need to hire someone to help with some of those tasks and they will also need to be incorporated into the schedule. A schedule will not only help keep your life structured and organized, but it will help your loved one know what’s on their agenda as well.

Utilize Your Available Resources

There are many resources available for the elderly. These resources may be through the government or community-based. Do your research and see what your loved one qualifies for and how it could benefit them. You may be surprised at what’s available.

Take Care of Yourself

You must remain healthy to take care of anyone else. Those who take care of their elders have been found to suffer from stress, anxiety, depression, and musculoskeletal disorders. If possible, divide the responsibilities between you, your spouse, and other family members. You mustn’t forget to take breaks, get away a bit, and enjoy your life as well.