Before my lucrative blogging career kicked off (haHA!), I was a social worker. Specifically, a social worker for the elderly. The elderly who lived in nursing homes, who received at-home care, who found themselves at the VA Hospital and who hospice had the honor to serve. Those who have lived a bit longer on this earth have always spoken my language, and through my work with them, I’ve learned quite a few tips and tricks to help you successfully care for your elderly family member.
4 Smart Ways to Care for your Elderly Family Member
- Make sure they have companionship. Loneliness is a chronic struggle for many older persons. With
decreased capacity to get out and about, they often rely on others to come to them or take them out. This can be a super-hard need for family members to fulfill, especially if they live far away. Don’t hesitate to call in the help of a companionship agency, like https://seniorsforseniors.ca/drop-in-companions. These agencies exist for this exact purpose and their caregivers are trained and know exactly how to best support your loved one.
- Take care of their physical needs. Obviously, things such as shelter, food, and hygiene must never be overlooked. Beyond sorting these immediacies of life, take the time to make sure their general health is the best possible shape. Beyond medication management and regular
physcician check-ups, it’s important to check in on their vision and hearing needs. Their life experience can be so far improved if they can hear and see better! Facilities such as TheHearingRoom.ca can help you in these efforts.
- Comfort matters! Think how much better you feel when you are cozied up in jammies with a mug of hot tea on the couch after the end of a long day. It’s the same for all of us, no matter the age. Do your best to provide the things that make them comfortable and happy. Crossword puzzles? The Price is Right? Motown music? Know what they enjoy and make sure it’s easily accessible. Also, take a moment to make sure their physical comfort is in check. Maybe a massage is in order or something could be done to address their foot pains (Cooksville Foot Care Clinic can help with this!). Anything to increase comfort is a super way to care for your elderly family member.
- Whenever the end starts to near, accept the help of palliative care. I know (trust me, having a mom who died when I was 32, I KNOW), this can be so, so hard. But palliative care is designed with the sole intention of blessing and helping patients and their caregivers, and it really, really will help. There are so many available agencies, such as the best palliative care nursing.
There are so, so many components to a holistic plan to care for an elderly family member, and these are just a few of the best tips I’ve learned along my journey. Please share your own below! As we continue to age and grow in this life, knowing how best to meet the needs of ourselves and our loved ones is so
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Janine Huldie says
I truly didn’t know that you were a social worker and did this before you had your kids. But loved learning something new about you here today and thanks for the great tips, as well!
Meredith says
Isn’t it funny how we are still learning about each other after all of these years? Thanks for reading, love!