While your parents and loved ones may still be in good health, it is always good to prepare for the future and understand how to care for them as their needs arise. For seniors and elderly patients, many ailments and conditions can alter their day-to-day lifestyle and ability to do things.
While you may not be thinking about elderly care at the moment, knowing how to make your loved one’s life easier will make a big difference in your ability to care for them and tend to their needs as they require more assistance. With that in mind, here is some advice on elderly care and preparing yourself for future success as a caregiver for your elderly loved ones.
Assess Your Loved One’s Needs
The first step is to assess your loved one’s needs. You should get a sense of their ability to move and perform tasks, cognitive health, hygiene, social interaction, medical needs, and anything else that affects their daily lives. Knowing what they need and how to best deliver it to them will yield the best results and ensure you can support them better.
Don’t Forget Your Own Needs
While you may be preoccupied with your loved one’s needs, it is crucial to care for yourself. As their primary caregiver, if you are not in good health or never give yourself a break, your ability to care for them will slowly deteriorate until everyone is in a bad situation. To avoid this, make sure you are tending to your needs, giving yourself time to take a break or go out and have fun, and otherwise ensure you are in good health so that you can continue to provide care and assistance to your loved ones.
Modify Your Home
While this may be inconvenient, modifying your home may be necessary. Seniors tend to have limited mobility, and constantly going up and down stairs can be extremely dangerous. If you have not already made modifications to your home or moved their bedroom downstairs, doing so will be in their best interest. Furthermore, try to ensure there are no obstacles around the house so they can move about with ease and without bumping into anything.
Involve Them In Their Care
While you may end up making many of your loved one’s decisions for them, including them in conversations about their care may help them accept treatments and changes to their lifestyle. Furthermore, it will give them a sense of control and independence in their lives, which is important when you consider that they may have lost the ability to do many things on their own, that they once could.
Keep Them Active
Finding ways to keep them physically active is important for their overall health and state of mind. Working within their physical limitations, consider ways to get them moving or even do light exercise if possible. Doing so will not only help them stay fit and in good health, but it may provide them with some enjoyment and pleasant ways to spend their time.
Seek Assistance
Never think that you are on your own. There are many services available to help elderly patients tend to their needs, and you may have friends and family members willing to help you out. Seek assistance where you can; for example, with transportation. Non-Emergency Medical Transportation can accommodate various patients’ needs and ensure your loved one makes it to their next check-up comfortably and safely.
Book A Ride With Us
If you or a loved one needs non-medical emergency transportation to make your medical appointments or to get from point A to B, Stellar Transport can help. We offer the best-in-class NEMT services for patients from all backgrounds. Contact us today to learn more about our services or to book a ride.