Have your elderly parents been struggling lately? Maybe they can no longer cook, clean, or even bathe themselves without assistance.
As a loving child, your first instinct may be to care for them yourself. While this may work for a little while, it can soon become too much for you to handle on top of your other responsibilities.
So, what can you do to help your parents? Well, hiring an in-home caregiver can be a lifesaver. They can come in to assist with non-medical care for your aging parents.
Do you want to know more? Keep reading to discover 10 reasons why you should hire at-home caregivers.
1. To Stay Informed
Many seniors try to downplay the seriousness of their conditions in fear of worrying their child. If you only go over every few days, you may miss some signs that their health is decreasing.
Hiring a caregiver for in-home help can keep you informed. They may come into the home more often or stay for longer. While there, part of their job is to pay attention to any changes, such as decreased appetite or decreased mobility.
This can be a vital part in deciding the best course of care for them.
2. To Make Sure They Get a Balanced Diet
A balanced diet becomes increasingly important as your parent ages, but many elderly are not getting enough nutrients.
While caregivers are not trained nutritionists, they can record what your parent is eating. At your request, they may cook healthier foods or provide healthy snacks throughout the day. They can even help your parent plan means and come up with a healthier shopping list.
3. To Offer Companionship
Loneliness is an often-overlooked part of aging. If your parent has recently lost their spouse, they may be feeling very lonely, or even suffer from depression – even if they don’t say anything to you.
Hiring a caregiver for in-home help will do more than make sure your parent’s basic necessities are taken care of. They can also offer companionship.
This company takes a personalized approach to engage your parent in games or hobbies, so they’ll get a little fun, friendship, and mental stimulation in their day.
4. To Ensure Proper Hygiene
Some of the most common jobs of an in-home caregiver involve personal hygiene. This could include bathing, brushing their teeth, brushing their hair, getting them dressed, and incontinence care.
What seems like simple activities to healthy adults, can be very strenuous for some seniors. Bad personal hygiene has several health consequences, including dental disease and ringworm. So, it’s very important to stay on top of it.
5. To Assist with Errands
If your elderly parent needs help inside the house, they probably need help completing tasks outside the house as well.
Taking your parent to the bank, grocery store, or post office can add up quickly. If you have trouble getting time to do it all, an in-home caregiver can help.
Any reputable caregiving company runs background checks, including a driving record. If your parent is unable to drive, a caregiver can drive them to their destination and help them navigate the store.
6. To Remind Them to Take Medication
Does your parent have a habit of forgetting to take their medication? Well, you don’t need us to tell you how dangerous this could be.
An in-home caregiver can remind your parents when it’s time to take their medication and bring them the bottle.
However, in-home caregivers are not medical professionals so that is the extent of what they can do. If your parent requires help administering medication, you may want to hire nurses.
7. To Keep Them at Home Longer
Staying at home represents independence for many seniors. The thought of going into a nursing home means relinquishing this and giving up the home where they raised their kids and created so many memories.
For this reason, the goal for many is to stay at home longer. However, you’ll want to make sure they are doing this safely. You may not be able to be there often enough to give them the care they need but an in-home caregiver can.
If your parent does end up in a nursing home, make sure you choose the home carefully and learn how to recognize signs of elderly abuse.
8. To Keep the House Clean
Proper hygiene doesn’t stop at showering regularly. It also includes making sure your parent is living in a clean home.
The best part about hiring a caregiver for in-home help is that they can care for your parent and clean the home. This means you won’t have to hire multiple services. Many families opt to have a caregiver complete one or two chores coupled with other forms or senior care during a single visit.
9. To Reduce Stress
Do you find yourself worrying about your parent when you’re not there? This constant worrying plus the stress of trying to divide your time between your parent, spouse, and children can really take its toll.
Your parent may also be feeling increased stress in their daily life if they are not getting the help they need. An in-home caregiver can reduce stress for both you and your parent by providing proper help and keeping you informed of any changes.
10. To Offer Flexible Services
If you try to care for your parent while working around hectic work and school schedules, you may find that you can only come over at certain times. While this may seem to work at first, many seniors require flexible care.
Your parent may need someone to come over more often, stay longer, or do more tasks. This may be a lot for you to handle but hiring a caregiver for in-home help will ensure that your parent has a schedule that works for them.
Many caregiving companies can offer 24/7 care or hire nurses if your parent requires more help or shows signs of Alzheimer’s.
Why You Should Hire an In-Home Caregiver
If your parent is struggling to complete their daily tasks, they may need help caring for themselves. While you may be able to come in to help with some tasks, most seniors need more help than what their children can offer.
An in-home caregiver will help with cooking, cleaning, and personal hygiene care, all while keeping you informed, reducing stress for everyone, and offering companionship.
Did you find this article helpful? Visit our health and wellness blog page for more content like this.
