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Author: Home Helpers Home Care

I know a family who did everything they could to keep their Mom/Grandma with chronic health
issues at her home, but at times, they brought her to their homes in their attempt to honor her
wishes to never be admitted to a skilled nursing or assisted living facility. However, the family
members realized this was not a permanent solution, and their senior loved one would require
home care and assistance to maintain her independence and quality of life or transition to a
facility.

In situations like this, family members may try to do too much for their loved ones, stripping
them of their autonomy; or they may struggle with hectic schedules, juggling the
responsibilities of their own families while trying to keep their senior loved ones safe, secure,
healthy, and happy.

Dr Barry J. Jacobs at AARP writes about caring for his mother, “With all my best intentions and
concerted energies, I mostly succeeded in curbing her independence and squelching her spirit.
She didn’t see me as her caring son so much as the overbearing usurper of roles she cherished.”
Daily Caring said, “Sometimes in our eagerness to keep our older adult safe, we end up helping
too much.”

But there are ways to achieve a balance between helping too much or too little.

Dr. Jacobs recommends 4 ways to help seniors while promoting senior independence.

1. Talk and plan together. Before your older adult needs help, have conversations about
how their abilities may change as they age. Find out how they’d like to be supported
when they need help physically, mentally, and/or cognitively. Being proactive and
realistic about the future and preparing for inevitable changes will help you both.
2. Don’t jump in with help too quickly. There may be times when your senior loved one
needs help once or twice, but you shouldn’t assume it is a permanent necessity. It may
be a fluke. Before jumping in to take over, step back and observe their “true” behavior
and confirm your concerns with others.
3. Focus on their abilities and what they can do. Continuing to do as many activities and
tasks as independently as possible helps seniors retain their abilities and boosts self-
esteem. Guide them toward tasks they’re able to do or adapt activities to make them
easier. For example, if setting a table from the beginning is too overwhelming, pull out
the needed dinnerware and flatware and ask your senior loved one to help set the table.
4. Focus on the fact that help is empowering and allows them to do more. Remind your
senior loved one that the purpose of assistance is to enable them to do what they want
as safely and as independently as possible. Dr. Jacobs uses the analogy of a cane. Using
a cane allows someone to walk farther on their own. When you provide help, they’ll be
able to do a lot more than they would without any help at all.

Senior independence is one reason we do what we do at Home Helpers. Seniors value their
independence more than just about anything, and the compassionate, professional caregivers
at Home Helpers are skillfully trained to properly care for and assist seniors in a variety of
circumstances so they can stay independent at home for as long as possible. You can consider
my team of caregivers your family when family can’t be there. They each deliver exceptional in-
home care services to make life easier every day.

I’m happy to offer a FREE Assessment to discuss specific needs and review the home care
services Home Helpers provides, so I can prepare a personalized care plan for you or your
special senior someone to assist with activities of daily living, improve overall quality of life, and
preserve senior independence.

Home Helpers® Bourbonnais/Kankakee/Frankfort proudly serves male and female seniors in
Beecher, Bourbonnais, Bradley, Dwight, Frankfort, Kankakee, Manteno, Mokena, New Lenox,
Orland Park, Palos Heights, Palos Hills, Tinley Park, Watseka, Wilmington, and surrounding
areas. Contact me today to learn more about the many services offered through Home
Helpers® - We are Making Life Easier℠ for you and yours! 815.427.4238

Sources:
Daily Caring
AARP