When the case comes to pass, we all have doubts about how to care for an elderly person at home. Older people in our family may need our care when they reach a certain age. While some families choose to take their relatives to specialized care centers or hire someone to assist them, others decide to keep them at home and give them the attention they deserve.
Being in the care of a person in the third age can be very rewarding and at the same time exhausting, especially if you do not have the ability to move by your own means or suffer from a neurodegenerative disease. If you are a working person and do not have time to take care of your sick elderly family member you can hire home care assistance. It is easy, reliable and affordable too.
1- Make a diagnosis of the needs of the elderly
The first thing you should do is list the needs of the older person you are in charge of, as well as the resources you will have to deal with them. Once listed, you will have to proceed to develop a realistic action plan of what each family member can contribute. In the same way, you will also have to find the means and people necessary to facilitate the process.
2. It has the help of other relatives
It is essential to reach family agreements regarding the responsibilities that each person will take. It is common for disagreements and friction. The recommendation is to establish a family reunion to discuss openly the expectations, possibilities, and responsibilities of each member.
3. Meet with a good team of professionals
An older adult generally presents various pathologies. The most advisable in these cases is to have all the information for the treatment of your family members.
If you require personalized assistance and support to perform the activities of daily living, consider the option of hiring an assistance service for older adults in your home. If you need advanced medical care, it is best to contact a nursing service. Who can best guide you is the primary care doctor or a social worker?
4. Establish a daily routine for your family member
As we saw in the article on dynamics for older adults, it is good that you set schedules, both for routine activities such as bathing, meals or going to sleep, as well as for other leisure activities, such as going for a walk, play cards with friends or practice a hobby. Following a daily routine helps older people feel safe. They notice that they move in familiar terrain and that motivates them to try harder.
Our family member needs our support.
Let's make him feel special.
5- Establish a security plan
When we have to take care of an elderly person at home who is already at an advanced age and who depends on someone to carry out their activities, the following safety plan must be established:
- In the bathroom you have to place handles, the floor must have non-slip tiles or a preferably rustic floor.
- It is best that the older person, when bathing, is sitting.
- The structure of the house must-have comfort and security so that the elderly person can function in the home.
6. Keep track of medications
The older adult is common to consume several medications and may become confused and double their dose. On the other hand, there is a tendency towards self-medication, a tremendously dangerous fact. We recommend you take the daily control of each medication in a notebook or logbook and use controlled pillboxes.
7. Create a balanced diet
In the advanced age, there is a tendency to consume less food since these are of only one type. It is recommended to have a balanced diet to prevent any health problem in addition to helping your family to strengthen physically and mentally.
8. Take care of your personal hygiene
The hygiene in the elderly is very important for disease prevention and thus stimulate the habits of a healthy lifestyle. With good hygiene we get the following:
- We keep the patient clean, avoiding bad smells.
- Good hygienic habits.
- We promote patient self-esteem with care.
9- Help him stay physically and cognitively active
We must prevent immobility and memory disorders. We can promote the activity with a simple daily walk, hobbies or activities inside the home that motivate your family to continue an active and healthy life. Memory tends to decline with age, which is why we should help them to have tools to stimulate their minds.
10. Help him stay socially connected
It is important to promote socialization with our family members and allow interaction not only with the family but with close circles of friendships. This will help them continue to live a quality life and give them the opportunity to set new goals, new interests, and lifestyles to feel more fulfilled.
11. Family walks
The first thing that should be taken into account if you have the means to do so. The older adult should be taken for a walk with the family once a week. According to specialists in management, family walks help to be in contact with the environment and purify your lungs. On the other hand, they also affect that these walks should be taken in a healthy place, where there is no noise that causes them stress, such as a beach or a river and that they have all the necessary comforts.
12. Learn about caring for the elderly
There are several courses or support groups for family members of sick or elderly people who stay at home. It can be a perfect place to learn about the most important thing to keep in mind and even to let off steam with people who are in the same situation as one.
Do not hesitate to read as much as you can about it, consult with those who know and, if possible, hire someone and learn some of their techniques to then apply what you learned with your family member.
All the above tips and other techniques are taken into consideration by the home care medical agency, you can avail their services in order to save your time and energy.
Angelina is a regular contributor to THe Independent, Buzzfeed and selfgrowth.com