Easy Steps to Safe, Healthy Life at Home

Many, many American families face the dilemma every year: a senior family member needs increasing care on a daily basis, due to a physical injury, illness, or cognitive decline. Is it better to ask family members to devote additional time to care or move the senior to a nursing home? No one denies that there are many lovely and compassionate caregivers in long term care facilities, but there is truly no substitute for an elderly person’s opportunity to remain in his familiar settings, surrounded by his family and longtime neighbors instead of strangers. Despite the apparent challenges, giving a senior this chance is usually not as difficult as it seems.

Organization is Key

You already know that your home works best when responsibilities, appointments, and tasks are organized and not forgotten until the last minute. When a senior needs daily care, it is important for the rest of the family to plan out ahead of time exactly how those needs will be met. Who will stop by and cook dinner? Who will take care of the laundry next week? Who is able to drive your parent to her doctor’s appointment? Often, these tasks are not too daunting for a family that works together, as long as they are worked into the schedule and not hastily put together at the last minute.

Make Time for Companionship

You could organize your family and meet all of your senior’s nutritional, physical, and housekeeping needs but still neglect one critical activity: simple human companionship. Living alone at home, a senior needs human contact, stimulating conversation, and mental exercise in order to stay healthy. This lack of companionship leads many seniors to adopt unhealthy habits, such as excessive television watching, physical inactivity, and a struggle with depression. Sitting down to play a word game or work on a jigsaw puzzle may not feel like the most efficient use of your time, but it is just as important as any other caregiving service you provide.

Get Help When You Need It

You do not need to shoulder the entire responsibility for a loved one’s care yourself, and even your whole family can use some help at times. It is a simple fact of life that there will probably be days when no one is able to work a meal, a trip to the grocery store, or an afternoon of company with your senior parent. For those times, professional in-home caregiving is the perfect affordable solution. Our company’s caregivers find that they quickly develop wonderful relationships with their clients, whether they stop in for an hour or two each day or provide 24-hour care. We would love to talk more with you about how our services can allow your elderly loved one to remain at home safely.

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