What to Do when Your Senior Loved One Needs Help

Everyone needs a little help sometimes. Seniors often require assistance as they begin to face different challenges with their daily routines. Your aging loved one may show signs of facing certain challenges, begin to forget to take medication, or stop keeping the house as clean as he or she did in the past. Once you’ve noticed a few changes in your loved one’s health or home, you can take these steps to get the help he or she needs to live well.

Share Your Concerns

Your loved one needs to know you’ve noticed his or her challenges. Conversations with seniors about their need for help can sometimes get heated. Try to avoid insulting your loved one by mentioning everything he or she is doing wrong. Instead, approach the conversation with compassion. Ask open-ended questions to help your parent feel comfortable sharing what he or she thinks about the challenges. For instance, you could ask about how your loved one feels when cooking or cleaning the house.

Identify Unknown Needs

You might not notice all of the challenges your loved one faces. For instance, your loved one may need help bathing or getting out of bed, or he or she may dread needing to use the bathroom in the middle of the night if he or she fears falling. Once your loved one opens up about the challenges you’ve noticed, ask if there’s anything else you need to know. This helps you begin to put together a list of needs you can address together.

Discuss Options

Seniors who choose to age in place have many options available for getting the help they need. Many older adults rely on professional caregivers to reduce the burden they place on their families. Your loved one may also prefer a home caregiver to help with personal needs such as bathing. As you go down the list of things your loved one needs, identify who can help with each one. 

If your elderly loved one needs help maintaining a high quality of life while aging in place, reach out to Assisting Hands Home Care Potomac, a trusted provider of senior home care. Our caregivers provide transportation to and from medical appointments and social events, nutritious meal preparation, assistance with daily exercise, and help with everyday tasks like bathing, grooming, and light housekeeping.

Arrange for a Home Assessment

A home assessment identifies areas in routines or households where seniors can use assistance to maintain their independence. This assessment includes a safety check for common hazards in the home, such as clutter on the floor that increases the risk of falls. It also includes a general check on the senior’s overall abilities. 

After your parent’s home assessment is complete, the professional caregiver can then make recommendations regarding ways to make things easier at your loved one’s home. The caregiver may recommend adding more lighting or moving items to more accessible shelves, and he or she can also help you figure out how much care your loved one needs each day. 

Living independently is important for seniors who want to maintain a high quality of life. For some, this simply means receiving help with tasks that have become more challenging to manage over time. Even when families have the best intentions, they may not have the time to provide the care their elderly loved ones need and deserve. If your loved one needs help for a few hours a day or a few days a week, reach out to Assisting Hands Home Care, a trusted provider of respite care Potomac seniors can depend on.

Plan to Meet with a Caregiver

Your loved one’s first meeting with a caregiver provides a chance to ask questions and get to know the person who will be providing assistance. You may choose to be at this meeting so you can establish communication methods that work for your family. Take this opportunity to put together a schedule for visits that gives your loved one the right level of help to keep him or her stay safe and comfortable. 

One of the most challenging tasks of helping an elderly relative age in place safely and comfortably is researching agencies that provide at-home care. Potomac families can turn to Assisting Hands Home Care for reliable, high-quality in-home care for aging adults. We offer 24-hour care for seniors who require extensive assistance, and we also offer respite care for family caregivers who need a break from their caregiving duties. Call one of our friendly Care Managers today at 301-960-7892 to learn more about our customized care plans.