Caring for aging parents involves a number of puzzle pieces, such as hiring a caretaker (if necessary), finding a reputable non-emergency medical transportation service and keeping your parent active to prevent isolation and depression. Splitting up tasks amongst family members is a great way to ensure all boxes are checked off without leaving the burden of everything on one person’s shoulders.
How Many Adults Are Caring For Aging Parents?
According to MetLife estimates, nearly 10 million adults aged 50 and over have the responsibility of caring for an aging parent. These numbers continue to soar. Back in 1994, just 3% of men and 9% of women helped provide basic care for an aging parent. Basic care includes feeding, dressing, bathing and other forms of personal care. By the year 2008, numbers jumped to 17% for men and 28% for women. While it’s very rewarding to care for your mom and/or dad, there’s no denying the strains caretaking places on you, emotionally and financially.
Here Are Some Tips To How To Care For Aging Parents
1. Should You Hire A Care Taker?
It can be very beneficial to bring in a professional caretaker for a few hours a week or every single day. A caretaker will help maintain personal care and hygiene, while providing companionship. Long-term care insurance may help cover associated costs.
When hiring a caretaker be sure to…
-Read reviews and get trusted opinions and recommendations.
-Take your mother or father’s preferences into consideration.
2. Set Up A Visiting Schedule For Family
A visiting schedule provides your parents with a routine they can count on. This helps prevent any disappointment when they think you’re going to come over and don’t. It also provides consistency, which is good for anyone. If multiple family members live close enough to regularly visit, put everyone on a rotating schedule so that your parents have a constant stream of people popping in to visit. Otherwise, everyone may visit around the same time in between periods where no one comes at all.
3. Set Up Food Delivery Services
The more time you spend with your loved one, the better. Running errands together get him or her out of the house, which helps prevent isolation as well as depression. All that being said, the grocery store isn’t always a fun place to bring your elderly parent, at least not on a weekly basis. It is time consuming and takes away time you could spend doing more fun things together.
Save yourself the hassle of going to the store on a regular basis by setting up food delivery services through places like Amazon, Fresh Direct or Shipt, just to name a few options.
4. Keep Your Parents Active
Find out what sorts of activities your parent(s) would like to be involved with and make sure they have the opportunity to get out and do these things. Staying home all of the time promotes isolation and depression, which ultimately decreases health and lifespan. Do some research to see what activities for the elderly are going on in your community, more than likely there are some great options out there.
If your parent is showing resistance to getting out and doing things, try and get to the bottom of it by asking questions and prompting them to come up with something they’d rather do.
5. Keep Up With Home Maintenance
Is someone there to mow your parent’s lawn or clean out the pool? Make sure that your parent’s home or condo is properly maintained by hiring the right maintenance professionals to take care of regular tasks, just as you would for your own home. This will help protect their home value, as well as benefit your loved one’s overall safety.
6. Healthcare & Health Insurance
If your loved one is struggling to take care of their health matters independently, you’ll need to step in and help. This may include making the appropriate doctor appointments or signing them up for different and more cost effective health insurance.
7. Have A Reliable Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Service On Speed Dial
At some point in time, your loved one will no longer be able to drive. At which point, it’s not worth the costs associated with keeping and maintaining their vehicle and auto insurance. More than likely you won’t be available to take them to every last doctor appointment or outing with friends. That’s why it’s important to have a reliable non-emergency medical transportation team on speed dial.
Stellar Transportation specializes in Melbourne elderly transportation, including patients that are bed ridden, in a wheelchair or use a walker. All of our drivers undergo elderly sensitivity training to ensure the safest, most comfortable and enjoyable ride in town.