We’ve always cared for our elderly loved ones. These are the people we’ve built bonds with our whole lives. They’re the people who probably looked out for us when we were young and helped us to grow and blossom into the adults we are today. If you have an elderly loved one in your life, chances are you now want to return the favour as they age and grow more vulnerable. This, of course, can seem odd. Seeing strength and ability to care switch from their hands to yours may feel unfamiliar and it can be sad to watch someone going through the ageing process and beginning to find life harder and more difficult. But being able to help can make all the difference. Here are a few steps that you can take to ensure that your elderly loved ones are cared for and taken care of as best possible at all times!
The Current Pandemic
Let’s start by taking a look at how you can help your elderly loved ones throughout this pandemic. The outbreak of coronavirus and Covid-19 has taken us all by surprise and its hit some demographics of people harder than others. This pandemic has sadly impacted the elderly more than any other age group, often proving fatal when elderly individuals contract the disease. So, governments around the world have largely recommended that those aged over 70 “shelter” and avoid going outside at all. This, of course, has had a huge impact on the wellbeing of the elderly. Not only are they at higher risk of becoming ill, but they are also likely to become lonely over this period where people can’t spend time close to them or in their homes. There are steps, however, that you can take to help them in this specific period and under these specific conditions.
- Make Sure They Have the Most Up to Date Information – what we know about coronavirus, the rules and the regulations we are living by are all changing on a regular basis as more and more is discovered. Make sure that your elderly loved ones have all the information they could possibly need. Remember that many elderly individuals do not get their news from social media and the internet like we do – many rely on newspapers, which they may not be getting right now as they are unable to go to the shops.
- Get Their Essentials for Them – many of us have been relying on online delivery for a while now. But many elderly individuals don’t have internet access or do not know how to shop online. Try to get their essentials for them, as they may be unable to get to the shops. This includes food shopping and collecting prescriptions.
- Keep In Touch – if your elderly loved ones have been sheltering this whole time, chances are they’re feeling pretty lonely. Many may not have been out of their homes to socialise for months. Make sure to keep in touch so that they don’t feel completely alone. Give them a phone call every day to check in on them and provide them with some company.
Times In General
Of course, the pandemic won’t last forever. So here are a few areas you should focus on in general times!
Assess Their Living Needs
The first area you should focus on to ensure that your elderly loved one is getting everything they need is to assess their living needs. As you can imagine, needs come before preferences and you need to ensure that your loved ones are in a safe and healthy environment and that they can either look after themselves effectively or that they are getting the care that they need if they cannot. If your elderly loved one is fine living in their own home and happy living in their own home, then this is great. After all, they’ve spent their whole lives working for the property and they may have spent years there, really making it their home where they can feel comfortable and safe. However, if your loved one is struggling, you may need to consider some options.
- Adapting Their Home – standard homes may not be ideal for all elderly individuals. Many struggle with stairs, getting in and out of the bath to shower or bathe and other basics. In this case, you may be able to adapt their home with additions like stairlifts and walk in baths to make their day to day life easier.
- You could also check a hospital bed supplier to check some comfortable and durable bed for them.
- Moving Home – sometimes, their home may simply be unlivable. But if they are capable of living independently or with minor support, moving home could be an option. Consider bungalows or an annexe attached to your own home if you have the space and budget.
- Care Services – if your loved one’s home is fine, but they just need a little help and you’re unable to be there all the time, you may want to consider care services like health and help visitors or even live-in care. Here, a professional will live in their home with them, providing them with around the clock care and support. Make sure to choose care giving services with the best NDIS software enabling them to deliver a high standard of care.
- Care Homes – another option is care homes. These are great for elderly individuals who may need regular medical care and daily support. They are also great for elderly individuals who are becoming lonely and would like the company of others their age. Care homes are constantly staffed with medical teams and support workers and have many residents who can keep your elderly loved one company. They use advanced adult day care software to manage their services. Of course, make sure to thoroughly view and check reviews on any institution you’re considering. You only want the best quality facilities and care for your loved one!
This may feel like a lot of responsibility, but it’s important that you take all of these things into consideration and look after your elderly loved ones as needed. Hopefully, the above information has given you some good ideas and areas to focus on!
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