Caring for a senior loved one can be exhausting. However, the role comes with many rewards, such as strengthening relationships and creating irreplaceable memories. To reduce some of the challenges, families need to develop easy-to-follow strategies. Below are some essential tools caregivers can use to make their jobs easier while providing high-quality care to their senior loved ones.
Medication Dispensers & Apps
Forgetting to take prescriptions is something many seniors do, putting their health in jeopardy. As a family caregiver, you can utilize tools such as pill dispensers and medication apps to prevent your loved one from missing a dosage or overmedicating. With apps, you can keep track of your loved one’s responses to the prescriptions and relay that information to his or her primary care physician. In some instances, alternative medications may be necessary to boost your loved one’s physical and mental health.
Whether you need respite from your caregiving duties or your aging loved one needs live-in care, Clearwater Home Care Assistance can meet your family’s care needs. Our dedicated caregivers are available around the clock to provide transportation to doctor’s appointments, ensure seniors take their prescribed medications, and help with a variety of tasks in and outside the home.
Air Fryers
Encouraging independence is vital because it helps seniors stay active and reduces the risk of depression, isolation, and accelerated cognitive decline. Appliances like air fryers come in handy for many seniors because they’re easy to use and clean. They also cook food faster without grease and other high-calorie ingredients. As a result, your loved one can continue eating healthy meals and managing his or her weight more effectively, which also lowers the risk of heart disease, diabetes, digestive problems, and other conditions.
Smartphones & Laptops
Staying socially active is essential for older adults, as it prevents isolation and lowers the odds of depression. Your loved one can use a smartphone or laptop to engage with family, friends, and people with similar interests on social media platforms. The interaction also allows your parent to keep his or her brain active, which can stave off conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of elderly home care. You can rely on Home Care Assistance to provide an individualized care plan to meet your elderly loved one’s unique care needs. Our holistic Balanced Care Method was designed to help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits, such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and our Cognitive Therapeutics Method offers mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia.
Financial Resources
Caring for a loved one often requires more than helping with meals and medication management. The role can lead to financial requests from your loved one, especially if he or she has limited income. Paying for food, medications, clothing, and various supplies can become expensive and put financial stress on you and your family. However, there are resources at the federal, state, and local levels that your parent may be eligible to receive. These could include discounted or free meals, prescriptions, cleaning services, and professional home care. Ask your loved one’s medical providers about available community programs, and reach out to those organizations for further assistance.
A Supportive Network
Balancing caregiving duties is important because it prevents burnout and reduces the risk of strained relationships between caregivers and seniors. When creating a supportive network, it should include your siblings and other family members who will step up to help with your parent’s care. It’s also a good idea to have non-related mentors and associates who are available if you need to talk about caregiving issues without feeling guilty or ashamed.
Caring for a senior loved one can be challenging for families who don’t have expertise or professional training in home care, but this challenge doesn’t have to be faced alone. Family caregivers can turn to Clearwater Home Care Assistance for the help they need. We provide high-quality live-in and respite care as well as comprehensive Alzheimer’s, dementia, stroke, and Parkinson’s care. If you need professional home care for your loved one, reach out to one of our Care Managers today at (727) 330-7862.