Five Tips for Family Caregivers as Senior Needs Grow

Author: Home Helpers Home Care
As seniors continue to age in place, they may experience needs that keep growing. Eventually, family caregivers have to determine solutions that meet those needs and allow family caregivers to meet their other obligations as well. 24-hour home care providers can offer the support that family caregivers need around the clock to keep seniors safe and to preserve their quality of life.
Periodically Reassess Needs
Part of the aging process involves the fact that things are going to change for seniors and for family caregivers. Health issues and seniors’ abilities to perform activities of daily living are going to shift over time. Occasional assistance from elder care providers may have been sufficient in the past, but families may need more help quicker than they expect. All of this means that family caregivers need to consciously assess their seniors’ needs every so often so that they can keep up with the changes everyone is experiencing.
Plan for Safer Aging in Place
Safety becomes a much bigger issue as seniors start to face more challenges with health and aging. 24-hour home care providers can help families to notice what new safety concerns might be an issue for their aging adults. They can also help families to implement safety plans, reducing tripping hazards and putting solutions in place that improve overall safety.
Support Autonomy
Seniors need support, but they also want to remain as autonomous as possible. The main reason most seniors choose to age in place is because they want to maintain their independence. Having more assistance doesn’t automatically mean that seniors are losing any of that independence. 24-hour home care providers are there around the clock to help seniors only as much as they need, allowing them to continue to do what they can.
Communication Is Key
When it comes to caregiving needs, communication is so important. Talking to aging family members about how they’re feeling, what they need, and what they want from the home care providers and family caregivers who are helping them. This is also the time to talk to seniors about the needs, limitations, and boundaries that family caregivers have. These open and honest conversations keep everyone on the same page.
Find Ways to Improve Self-care
If family caregivers aren’t paying close attention to their own self-care needs, they’re more likely to allow themselves to become physically and emotionally overwhelmed. As seniors need more assistance, family caregivers often keep trying to do more and more to support those changes. That isn’t sustainable, however. Having 24-hour home care providers available means that family caregivers can take care of themselves while also knowing that their aging adults have the care and assistance they need.
Caring for aging adults is an important responsibility for family caregivers to embrace. But as their seniors’ needs continue to grow, it makes sense to seek out more help. 24-hour home care providers can offer their experience and hands-on support to keep seniors safe and content. Family caregivers also get a chance to focus on their own needs when necessary, which allows them to keep being there for their aging family members.
If you or an aging loved one are considering 24-hour home care in Valparaiso, IN, please contact the caring staff at Home Helpers Home Care of NW Indiana today at (219) 244-2533.
Home Helpers Home Care of NW Indiana provides exceptional home and facility care for seniors in Highland, Munster, Crown Point, Schererville, Dyer, Saint John, Valparaiso, Cedar Lake, Griffith, Lowell and the surrounding areas.