Growing old can be challenging, but it’s also something you can look forward to and make the most out of. Your golden years are the best time to enjoy the fruits of all your hard work when you were younger. Those can range from the money you’ve saved through the years to the kids you’ve taken care of and helped grow as responsible adults to your happy and healthy grandkids. You’d most likely want to enjoy being with your loved ones every day rather than staying in a nursing home.
In recent years, growing old in a nursing facility has become a widely available option for senior individuals. But initially, a number of them dreaded the idea of being away from their families and living with strangers. They felt that being placed in a nursing home would make them unhappy. That led to the rise of home care services.
Trained caregivers can now go to the residence of any elderly person to provide the assistance they need and allow them to live as independently as possible. These professionals are certified to give adequate care without the patient having to leave their home. The ability to stay in one’s home no matter their age is known as ‘aging in place.’
With that said, there are many ways to improve the kind of care that seniors can receive at home. Read on to learn more about a few of them.
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1. Provide Elevated Personal Care
Geriatrics who aren’t physically able to handle many everyday tasks or who may be partially disabled would need personal care. They might require an experienced home caregiver to bathe them and help them put on clothes or even diapers if they can’t go to the bathroom often. Trained professionals would make sure to maintain the dignity of the senior individual while assisting them with private tasks that they used to be able to accomplish on their own.
Professional caregivers are trained to deliver personal care in the most respectful way. Ensuring proper hygiene is crucial when caring for a senior citizen as many illnesses can arise otherwise. Seasoned home caregivers adhere to the highest level of sanitary care so that their patient follows only the best hygiene practices every day.
2. Administrate Medicine Properly
Seniors who have to take several medications for their illnesses may need somebody to help them out. Part of old age is becoming forgetful. Missing a dose of medicine for a severe disease could be harmful, and the same goes for consuming the wrong dosage. That’s why it’s essential for someone else to take note of such matters for the elderly individual and see to it that the administration of their medicine is always done correctly.
3. Address Advanced Care Needs
Advanced home care services are for senior citizens who’ve suffered from a stroke and have been left incapacitated. They may require therapists to improve their speech, mobility, and ability to move independently. Some patients might have to be retrained to swallow, produce speech sounds, and communicate. For advanced care services like these, you may visit websites such as promontoryhomehealth.com. They have expert speech-language pathologists who can help diagnose and treat conditions that cause speech and language problems in stroke patients.
Another advanced care service that can be carried out at home is occupational therapy. Occupational therapists or OTs will assist you in attaining independence by helping you work through obstacles such as getting dressed, writing, grasping small objects, and even cooking.
Most stroke patients need to relearn basic tasks since a portion of their brain may have been affected by the stroke. They can turn to an occupational therapist to help them figure out how those simple tasks can be done and modified according to their current condition. For instance, female stroke patients who have one side weakness or hemiplegia might require help in learning how to wear a brassiere with one hand, and an OT could help her with that.
Elders often get into minor accidents such as falling, spraining their ankles, or getting burned while cooking. To recover from those mishaps, they could be advised to undergo physical therapy. This is another advanced care service that elders can receive in the comfort of their own home, so they’ll be able to recover at their own pace. Physical therapists will help them regain balance, improve mobility, strengthen their muscles, and manage their pain.
Home care providers should also administer wound care if the elderly patient has minor burns or injuries that require wound management. Proper care and attention are important in the treatment and supervision of wounds as infections may occur otherwise.
4. Encourage Regular Physical Activities
A senior citizen who’s physically able but needs some assistance with daily activities at home may benefit from getting active and doing mild exercises such as walking and stretching. Those would not only prevent muscle spasticity but also keep the elderly person happy. Exercising releases endorphins, which are known as feel-good chemicals. They can relieve stress and pain and are considered a happiness booster.
It’s advisable to assist seniors in exercising outside whenever possible so they can get plenty of sunlight and fresh air.
5. Give Companion Care
Many elderly adults find it challenging to perform essential tasks such as doing the laundry, cooking, folding clothes, and cleaning the house. In-home care companies often offer companion care to those who need help with accomplishing basic chores and errands.
Like everyone else, seniors need nutritious and healthy food, and someone who specializes in companion care could help plan and prepare their meals for the day. Some patients might not be able to drive due to poor eyesight or physical weakness. They can be accompanied by their caregiver to doctor’s appointments and whenever they require treatments that have to be carried out at the hospital or a clinic such as dialysis or chemotherapy.
Some caregivers would even go the extra mile and accompany their patient on shopping trips or visits to friends and relatives.
6. Manage Their Mental Health
Apart from the elderly person’s physical condition, it’s equally essential to keep their mental health in check. Professional care providers may be able to alleviate anxiety and depression through counseling, or they might refer the senior to a psychologist for treatment and medication.
Caregivers could coordinate outpatient programs and community activities to ensure that their patients are surrounded by like-minded individuals who understand their situation and could eventually become their friends. Managing mental health is crucial for elders. They need to build relationships with others in order to feel connected. A sense of community will keep them happy and preoccupied.
Another way to manage their mental health is to make them feel useful and needed. Simple tasks at home that they can contribute to with supervision should be encouraged, such as folding clothes, light cleaning, and basic gardening.
7. Request Specialized Home Care
Patients with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia may need specialized home care that’s entirely different from what a regular patient receives. Caring for patients who have such conditions calls for individualized care appropriate for their illness. It’s also essential to set up the home as safely as possible to prevent falls, burns, and other injuries.
Family members who care for elderly relatives with dementia often get frustrated and run out of patience, leading to caregiver burnout. Professional caregivers who deliver specialized home care know the best routes to take when dealing with the illness.
For instance, many Alzheimer’s patients lose awareness of their environment and don’t recognize even their family members. Often, they wander outside the house and on the streets, which poses a massive risk for accidents. Caregivers can help them feel more comfortable by establishing a daily routine and constantly reinforcing a sense of familiarity.
Caregivers could also make the patient’s day enjoyable and worthwhile by doing all sorts of activities with them. Some examples are baking, finishing a crossword puzzle, and playing digital games that can boost brain activity.
Patience is paramount when it comes to handling Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. A family member may not be able to care for them in the right way even if they love them tremendously. It’s something that’s best left to professionals.
Conclusion
Growing old at home is now the preferred option of numerous elderly people and their families. Seniors are happier when they’re surrounded by familiar faces. What’s more, their proximity to the special people in their lives can give them the kind of reassurance and love they need to weather out the loneliness that tend to come with old age.
Many home caregivers are trained more rigorously so that the services they offer can be more personalized. Family members of senior individuals hire them since they don’t want to part with their relatives. They also don’t want them to feel isolated and neglected knowing that these seniors were the ones who raised them and essentially made them who they are today.
Understandably, the children of elderly people are building their own lives and are mostly busy with their work or business and their own family. Not having enough time to look after their senior relatives on their own doesn’t mean they love them any less. In truth, leaving their care to people who’ll do the job well is a sign of love and affection.
Also, letting them stay at home instead of sending them to a facility is one way of letting seniors know that they’re wanted by their loved ones. So if you have elderly relatives who require day-to-day assistance, follow the tips above to ensure that they can fully enjoy their twilight years.
