Our parents have always been there for us; they fed us, clothed us, sat up through the night with us, so when they get older children often feel as though they want to repay that love and kindness, and take care of elderly parents. This can be an extremely difficult task both emotionally and physically, and not everyone is able to do it – if that is the case for you, you should never feel guilty about it. If you are going to do it, here are some ways to ensure it goes as well as possible.
Have Help
Trying to do everything yourself might be fine for a while, but eventually, especially if your parent has a degenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s, there will come a time when it is just no longer possible to take care of them without some help. This help might come in the form of a care home, for example, and many of them are excellent. If this idea worries you, or you have tried it before and had problems, or think your current situation requires a nursing home lawyer from Garcia Law, then you can have home help instead. Seek the right justice available and consider alternatives if you have had issues with nursing homes.
If the problems are not too severe, then you might be able to ask a family member, friend, or neighbor to help out, and this can be useful if you need to run errands, or even if you need a break away for a day, a weekend, or a week or more. Who you have to help and what they do will depend on your own circumstances.
Install Tech
It might be that your parent is not unwell, but that they are simply frail due to their age. If this is the case then they should be able to stay at home, assuming that home is safe for them to do so, and as long as you check in on them regularly, your usual routine may not even change that much.
To put your mind at ease, you can use modern technology to ensure that all is well. You can help your parent work a smartphone or tablet, for example, so that you can use video calling to chat to them on days when you can’t make it to their home physically. You can install motion sensors too. They will let you know that your parent has got out of bed and that they are moving around the property – if they have a fall, or are too unwell to get up, you will know straight away.
Make The House A Safe Place To Be
Wherever your parent is living, whether it is in their own home, a care home, or in your home, you should check it over to ensure that it is safe. Just as you would childproof a home when you have a baby or toddler, you can do the same for an elderly parent. It may sound as though you are patronizing them, but it is the best thing you can do to allow them to live more independently.
Remember to move anything that is cluttering the floor or that they could trip over, for example. An elderly person might have trouble with their balance, and if they were to fall a broken bone would take a lot longer to heal.
