Children caring for their senior parents will differ from case to case. While your elderly parents may be completely coherent, they may have lost some of their physical abilities. Others may suffer from diseases that cause cognitive decline. Regardless, your parents will have good days and bad ones. Knowing how to help take care of aging parents will allow both parties to feel secure moving forward.
Assess Needs
First, you’ll want to assess your parents’ needs. If incontinence is an issue, consider swapping underwear for adult diapers. You’ll also want to determine what your parents are capable of. If mobility is an issue and their bedroom is upstairs, you may want to arrange a bedroom setup on the main floor. This is the time to determine how much supervision they need at any given time.
Implement Safety Basics
As your aging parents begin to struggle with necessary tasks, you’ll need to sit down together and determine which things they must stop doing. For example, laundry facilities being on another floor may need to be left for someone else.
If forgetfulness and confusion are issues, then you may want to unplug the oven and microwave. Things that can cause serious damage to the house or death, like a fire, need to be thought of ahead of time. These safety basics will help ease your mind when you aren’t there.
Adjust Accessibility
There are many features that you can add to a home to increase its accessibility. From the installation of a little ramp to better handrails on staired areas, many modifications can make a world of difference. You may want to take a look at the bathroom, which can be an especially difficult room to navigate.
Adding a seat in the shower and having grab bars installed can provide an added defense against falling, losing balance or not being able to stand up alone. Look at other areas around the living space that might cause strain and adjust accordingly.
Enroll Professionals
To maintain the mobility your parents do have, improve quality of life after a stroke or help combat conditions that are taking over, enroll a professional. Many professionals specialize in therapies that can help people maintain strength and balance or recover after a health issue.
Learning how to help take care of aging parents is an adjustment. Every situation is different. However, many organizations can lend volunteers to aid you, and many support groups can help you adapt and determine the next steps. During this time, make sure that all paperwork, legal documents and finances are organized and understood. Having your parent available to answer questions and make plans with you will make a world of difference.