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Consider Your Own Limitations When Caring For Your Parents

Home Care Assistance in Carmel IN
Home Care Assistance in Carmel IN

Every five years, AARP partners with the National Alliance for Caregiving to take a closer look at unpaid care. The 2020 survey found that 18 percent of family caregivers are impacted by physical pain due to their caregiving duties. Thirty-seven percent are affected by emotional stress.

Your emotional and physical issues can limit your ability to provide the best care for your parents. If there are tasks you are not able to handle, you have to consider your limitations. Forcing yourself to do things can impact your well-being. These are the questions you need to ask yourself.

How Much Weight Can You Support?

If you’re going to be lifting your parent, you need to be able to support their weight. Your dad is 100 pounds heavier than you are and requires you to lift him out of the bathtub. It’s going to strain your back if you’re not able to lift that kind of weight.

Some devices can help you move him around, but it still takes upper body strength. You need to be sure you can safely lift your mom or dad without injuring yourself.

How Is Your Health?

After the age of 55, an average of three out of four people has one of six chronic condition. Almost half have two chronic health conditions, and about one out of five have three or more. Have you been diagnosed with any health issues?

If you have a chronic health condition like asthma, diabetes, or arthritis, you have to care for yourself. That’s a priority. Your parents may need your help, but you can’t ignore your health concerns in the process.

You also need to consider your mental and emotional well-being. If you experience chronic stress, it can make it hard to assist your parents effectively. The thought of helping your parent with toileting has you dreading getting out of bed and going to their home. It’s not healthy. It’s time to consider your other options.

So, What Do You Do?

How do you find the right balance? You want to help your mom and dad, but you can’t ignore self-care and personal situations. Home care assistance is an excellent way to balance your parents’ care needs with your schedule and abilities.

You’re free to help them in the ways that you’re able to, but they’re not left to struggle with everything else. They have caregivers to help them with other tasks. Call a home care assistance specialist to get started.

Sources:
https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2020/05/full-report-caregiving-in-the-united-states.doi.10.26419-2Fppi.00103.001.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/health_policy/adult_chronic_conditions.htm

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care assistance in Carmel, IN, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care today. 317-550-1276

Why Is Companion Care Important for Your Senior?

Companion Care at Home in Fishers IN
Companion Care at Home in Fishers IN

Companion care at home is a way for your elderly family member to have caring, compassionate support in various different ways. She may only need company at this stage of her life, but her needs are bound to change at some point, necessitating changes in the types of care she receives.

Reduces Social Isolation

Social isolation is a huge problem for aging adults. Often it begins because your elderly family member doesn’t have the same network of friends and family nearby that she used to have. She may also find that she’s less willing or able to leave the house as often as she did in the past, which can significantly reduce the number of people she encounters on a daily basis. All of this can lead to loneliness and to isolation, which in the long run can contribute to depression and even to physical health issues.

Ensures Your Senior Has Help

Having elderly care providers there with her ensures that if your senior does need help with specific tasks, it’s there for her. Accepting help can be difficult for some aging adult, which might make putting plans for assistance in place a little more difficult. Sometimes leaning on companionship instead of specifying that someone is there to help with household tasks or with personal care tasks can make help easier for your senior to accept.

Offers Respite Time for Family Caregivers

As your senior’s needs increase, the demands on your time and energy as a family caregiver also increase significantly. That means that something has to give at some point. Respite time ensures that you’re getting the time away that you need, but that your senior also isn’t left on her own for too long. Companion care at home can resolve any doubts that you have about being able to take the time away from caregiving that you need to take. Respite is a necessary and important part of protecting your own ability to continue to be a family caregiver for your senior.

Companion care at home can make a huge difference for your senior as well as for the rest of your family. If your elderly family member isn’t excited about the idea at first, offer a trial basis so that she can get a sense of what to expect. It’s possible that her fears are getting in the way of realizing what the benefits of this type of help could be.

If you or an aging loved one is considering companion care at home in Fishers, IN please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care today. 317-550-1276