What do you know about senior care services?
The goal of this care is to support your parents in their desire to age independently in their home even if a chronic condition is diagnosed. With caregivers helping out, your parents don’t have to move to an assisted living community. They don’t have to leave a neighborhood that is familiar and comforting. Here are five of the ways senior care helps.
Get Help With Personal Care and Hygiene
Your mom and dad have a hard time with personal care. Your dad has arthritis and his fingers are too stiff to hold a toothbrush. A caregiver can hold it for him. Your mom can’t raise her arms after suffering a stroke. A caregiver can help her wash her hair from a shower seat.
Let Caregivers Cook Meals
Your dad’s cancer treatments mean that your parents spend a lot of time in the hospital. Back at home, your parents rely on takeout meals, frozen pizzas, or chicken tenders and fries most nights. It’s rare to have them actually cook a meal on their own. Arrange meal preparation services by calling a senior care agency. Caregivers can stop by as often as needed to cook meals, prepare snacks, and clean the kitchen after.
Gain a Friend for Regular Socialization
Socialization may dwindle when friends move to new areas. With the lack of friendship, your parents seem to be depressed. Caregivers provide socialization by stopping in for a chat or to play games for a while. Your parents may not need help with housework and meals. That’s fine. Caregivers are happy to provide companionship and nothing more.
Keep Everything Clean and Organized
Arthritis pain or exhaustion from a chronic condition like heart disease limits your parents’ activities. Caregivers can stop in once a week to take care of the standard housekeeping chores like vacuuming, dusting, and mopping. They can change the sheets, make beds, and swap the used towels for clean ones. Once the beds are made and towels are swapped, caregivers can do the laundry.
The other way senior care services help out is by keeping your parents’ home organized. Instead of allowing mail to pile up and clutter the home, caregivers can sort the bills from junk mail and recycle the junk mail your parents don’t want.
Have Someone Else Do the Driving
After your dad’s stroke, he’s no longer able to drive. Your mom has dementia and also cannot be behind the wheel. Senior care aides can take over the driving on the days you’re not available. Your mom has an appointment for a hair cut, let her caregiver drive her. Your dad needs to go to his physical therapist’s office for weekly exercise routines, the caregiver can drive.
How do you arrange senior care? It’s simple. Get a list of questions together and call a senior care agency to learn more.