How to Be a Great Caregiver for Your Aging Loved One
Being a family caregiver is a learning experience that tends to get easier over time. As a new caregiver, you naturally want to be the best you can be at helping your senior loved one navigate the golden years. Using these strategies will help you achieve your goal of being an excellent caregiver for your loved one.
Learn about Your Loved One’s Health Condition
Education is everything when it comes to providing great care for your family member. Most seniors develop health conditions over the years that impact their wellbeing. Whether your loved one has diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, or a combination of conditions, you’ll be better able to help when you know what to expect. Joining a support group might also be an option for helping you learn more about your loved one’s health.
A trained professional caregiver can also be a valuable member of your caregiving team. There are a variety of age-related health conditions that can make it more challenging for seniors to live independently. However, many of the challenges they face can be easier to address if their families opt for professional home care San Francisco. You can rely on expertly trained caregivers to keep your loved one safe and comfortable while aging in place.
Encourage Your Loved One to Express Their Preferences
Seniors often have particular preferences regarding how they want their families to approach their care. For instance, your loved one may prefer to have someone else help with personal hygiene care to maintain a certain level of privacy in your relationship. Or your loved one may enjoy working together on menu planning. Doing your best to honor your loved one’s wishes helps them be happier.
Use Technology to Increase Independence
Family caregivers often try to take everything they can off their loved ones’ to-do lists out of a desire to make life easier. But your loved one might prefer to do things such as taking medication without a reminder. Using alarms and other forms of technology might make it possible to do many things independently with minimal supervision. Even if you or another caregiver double-checks to make sure your loved one takes medication on time, they’ll feel better about being independent.
Plan Additional Social Opportunities
Seniors thrive when they have multiple people they can turn to for support. One benefit of hiring an additional caregiver is that the caregiver will spend time talking to your loved one and engaging them in fun activities. You can also plan to take your loved one to events in public if they’re capable of going out. Visiting a senior center, attending a religious service, and going to the library are a few ideas for helping your loved one socialize throughout the week. If your loved one is housebound, planning a video chat can boost their spirits, too.
For many families, hourly home care can be a wonderful solution when their aging loved ones need companionship and socialization a few hours a week or just need minor assistance with daily household tasks. At Corio by Institute on Aging (IOA), we thrive on helping seniors maintain their independence while living in the comfort of home. To learn about our quality-assured services, give us a call today.
Give Yourself Time for Self-Care
Getting burned out can lead to emotions such as guilt, frustration, and anger that can interfere with your ability to be the type of caregiver you strive to be. Arranging for respite care also helps your loved one avoid feeling like a burden. Whether you take a few hours a week or entire days off is up to you, but being able to stay on top of your physical and emotional health is important for maintaining your role as a caregiver.
Family caregivers sometimes need a break from their day-to-day responsibilities. Whether you need respite from your caregiving duties or your aging loved one needs overnight home care, Corio by IOA can meet your family’s care needs. Our dedicated caregivers are available around the clock to accompany older adults to doctor’s appointments, ensure seniors take their prescribed medications, and help with a variety of tasks in and outside the home. To create a customized home care plan for your loved one, call us today at (415) 750-4111.
