When Mom Moves In: Tips For Managing In-Home Care Needs
Moving your elderly mom (or dad) into your home can be the simplest solution when they no longer want or need to live on their own. In most cases, this type of arrangement helps to relieve some of the stress on the adult child who is assuming the role of caregiver.
Instead of being torn between the management and care of two households, adult children who opt to include an elderly parent in their own home will be better able to budget their time and provide excellent care for both their own family and their parent.
Balancing responsibilities
When an aging parent enters a busy household, there is bound to be an adjustment period. If the parent is physically able to handle their own care, the adjustment period may be short and barely noticed. However, if the elderly parent will require more advanced care, the caregiver and other family members will need to find ways to balance responsibilities in order to maintain their family, home, and career.
A good way to achieve this goal is to utilize some level of senior health care services available in the home setting. For instance, if an elderly parent requires frequent medical care or therapy, hiring a senior health care professional to assist with these duties in the home setting or to provide safe transportation to and from the home to medical care facilities can be a good option to consider.
Adjusting level of care
As an elderly parent continues to age, it is often necessary to adjust the levels of care provided for their situation. For example, elderly parents who develop physical frailties or are victims of ongoing mental decline conditions, such as memory loss, may require increasing levels of daily care and assistance with food preparation, hygiene, and specific issues such as wound care after surgery.
This increasing need for care can be handled in the caregiver's home environment by selecting and working with specific senior home care providers who are carefully trained and screened to provide safe, secure care in a home setting.
Adult caregivers can choose how much assistance they may need to ensure that their elderly parent is well cared for while also maintaining the balance of their family and household.
Caring for an elderly parent is a worthy undertaking for any adult child, but it can also be a very stressful time in life. If you have moved your elderly parent into your home and now need help to cope with their care needs, taking time to meet with a reputable provider of senior health care services in your area to discuss your options is your first step in finding the right solution.