Helpful Tips For Those Caring For A Parent Or Spouse

| Thursday, July 24, 2014
By Rue Nichols


If you are caring for an elderly parent or perhaps a spouse, you are not alone. There are more than 90 million senior citizens in the United States and while most are fully independent, millions do need some level of care or extra help. Often this help is performed by the adult children of the senior or perhaps the spouse. If you are a caregiver, here is some information that might prove helpful.

The help can be in some household chores needed or driving the elder to the doctor, or going to a social event, and these are only minimal help because some of them may only need these. Others may need help in grooming or bathing, or dressing or going to the toilet because there are also many who need greater help in the tasks to be performed. There are also those who may need full-day service, for safety and security of the elder person or because they simply cannot handle many tasks of daily life.

Taking care of the needs of other persons can be very challenging and this is a fact, although caregivers surely want to help. These people have their family to take care and also their work, and caregivers surely have many other responsibilities. Asking the help of others can be of great help, to lighten the load that is carried. Various tasks can also be shared sometimes by other members of the family. For instance, perhaps one family member offers to run errand, while another goes over and does some laundry and cleans up a bit. Making life easier can also be achieved when a part-time home caregiver is hired to help.

Taking care of an elder with dementia can be very challenging for a caregiver. While it can be stressful simply watching a loved one lose their memories, there are often personality changes present as well. The person can be violent or even abusive, and this can happen sometimes with a person having dementia. Caregivers can even be overwhelmed with the various tasks that have piled up because the seniors they are handling are difficult and the caregiver might be worried constantly about their loved one's safety. Discussing with other people about these problems can be big help like joining a support group helping these people. With a support group, one can find a great deal of good advice as well as friendship and true empathy. Some of these support groups are even available online, which can be very helpful.

There are times when the big load of care giving can already be too much for the family. This is specifically true when an elder in the family has physical needs and limitations or have Alzheimer's disease or any form of dementia. This is a case where you may need options to consider. Skilled nursing facilities and nursing homes are available and they can handle elders needing full time nursing supervision. There are also those who can handle less medical supervision needed like the board and care homes and the assisted living facilities, and these are facilities who can handle elders with memory issues.

The search for eldercare can seem daunting, but there is help available. Using a placement service, such as Care Placement, can make it much easier to find facilities that match the needs of your loved one and also fit within the budget. So if you are looking for a San Diego assisted living community, assisted living in Carlsbad, assisted living in Del Mar or anywhere else in San Diego County or Orange County, contact Care Placement today.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment