Preparing to Care for Aging Loved Ones

There are many joys families experience within the relationships they have with senior relatives. Grandma and Grandpa are often able to tell the best tales of times past. The memories they impart during family get-togethers, along with valuable family history seniors recount, become the ties that bind many families together. Our elder ancestors are the very roots that strengthen each relative’s sense of place, comfort and knowledge of how they came to be in this world.

Along with the joys seniors bring to our lives come hard decisions that may eventually need to be made regarding their ability to live alone. Some seniors suffer mental or physical limitations that make it difficult for them to safely care for themselves. In these instances, family members find themselves in the position of deciding who can provide the best care for their loved ones. Typically, this decision-making process – from recognition to solution – can take approximately a year and a half. Usually a female family member such as a daughter or granddaughter is the one who makes the final decision of care.  In families where there is no daughter, this role often falls on the shoulders of the oldest son’s wife (the daughter-in-law).

There are two types of caregiving scenarios to consider – choosing a willing family member to provide care or hiring a home care company to deliver caregiving services for seniors. Deciding to become a family caregiver can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Family caregivers often find their relationships with their senior loved ones enriched and satisfying beyond words. It feels good to give the gift of time. Even so, becoming a family caregiver can have a negative impact in some ways, as well. Many family caregivers experience financial difficulties by either having to miss work to care for their loved one or by supporting two households. Family caregivers also become susceptible to suffering depression due to the physical and emotional impact caregiving for a family member can have. Careful consideration of all parties involved should be taken before a family member takes on a caregiving role.

An alternative to family caregiving is to hire a professional and experienced agency to provide care and support. Comfort Keepers^® is one such home care agency that focuses on  serving the senior population. Comfort Keepers perform duties ranging from occasional housekeeping to daily companionship for seniors who need close monitoring.

Comfort Keepers is an expert in helping families make these crucial decisions. As a leader in the home care industry, the company has devised a list of critical questions for families to ask when interviewing caregiving companies. That list can be found here: http://www.comfortkeepers.com/information-center/news-and-highlights/in-home-care-for-mom-and-dad. Choosing a company that best fits a loved one’s needs and facilitates a safe environment for a senior in his or her own home is essential for success.

Comfort Keepers conducted extensive research among families and other home care resources to determine the best way to broach caregiving with a senior loved one. Simply initiating the topic can cause tension and unease. This decision can inspire guilt for the person making the decision as well as resentment from the senior who needs care. Visit http://www.comfortkeepers.com/family-education-center/starting-the-conversation to find ideas that help families understand the core issues surrounding caregiving. This article also gives helpful insight as to how to discuss the matter without hurting feelings or making a senior feel uncomfortable.

In any event, deciding a loved one needs additional care can be a daunting experience. Deciding who can best care for a senior loved one is a very important decision. The end result should make everyone happy and provide peace of mind for all involved.

Comfort Keepers provides in-home care to seniors and the elderly living in Ocala, Gainesville, and The Villages, Florida. We provide superior in-home care to seniors and the elderly throughout Central Florida so they can live enriched independent lifestyles! Call us today at 855-592-0013.

photo credit: fairfaxcounty

Everyone selects in-home care for different reasons.  The keys are to recognize when to introduce care and how to select the right care provider.  Here are some questions that can help you make the decision on whether you should consider in-home care.

• Has there been a recent emotional or medical crisis with a loved one?
• Does your loved one need help walking?
• Is your loved one unable to do errands alone?
• Have there been recent falls?

If you can respond “yes” to even one of these questions, perhaps it is time to consider in-home care.  But, before you select who your care provider will be, make sure you ask the right questions. Please download this document for suggestions of questions to ask potential care providers before you make a decision.

Comfort Keepers provides in-home care to seniors and the elderly living in Ocala, Gainesville, and The Villages, Florida. We provide superior in-home care to seniors and the elderly throughout Central Florida so they can live enriched independent lifestyles! Call us today at 855-592-0013.

Are You Talking To Your Adult Parent?

Talking with your adult parents about preparing for their senior years can be difficult. But the truth is aging happens, and there is no getting around it. So despite the fact that these conversations can be difficult to have, having them sooner than later can help you and your adult parents make decisions about long-term senior care and finances, health care, end-of-life decisions, driving, or safety around the house that truly meets the wishes of everyone involved.

How to Start the Conversation for Senior Care Needs With Your Adult Parents

The first thing you want to do before you bring up senior care issues with your adult parent is to write down everything you want to cover so you don’t forget anything. Then plan to address the issues you’ve written down over a series of conversations rather than all at once. Bring these issues up over time will feel less intrusive for your adult parent and be less intimidating for you to address.

Also remember to address senior care concerns while your adult parent’s health allows them to fully participate and share their wants, needs and preferences. Waiting too long to have these conversations may require that your decisions be dictated by a life-changing event and may not necessarily reflect your parent’s wishes.

10 Tips For Making “Senior Care” Conversations Easier to Have

1. Choose a time and place that makes everyone comfortable. Avoid special family gatherings, like a birthday or holiday celebration. Choose a time when you can have a relaxed, unhurried conversation, giving your parent plenty of time to share his or her wishes.

2. Include other family members, but meet before approaching your parent to make sure everyone’s on the same page to avoid an unproductive, confrontational situation.

3. Make the experience non-threatening by letting your parent know you’re concerned for his or her well-being and want to know how you can help them. Explain that you would like to help them write down their plans to help assure that they are followed.

4. Use good communication skills. Maintain good eye contact and get close enough to your parent, without invading personal space. Closeness builds trust and allows you to speak—and be heard—in an even, controlled voice.

5. Share an experience such as your own retirement or estate planning as a way to gracefully transition into a conversation about your parents’ thoughts regarding the future. A friend or relative’s medical emergency could also serve as an opening for dialogue.

6. Ask about records and documents. Ask your parent where they keep important documents such as insurance policies, wills, trust documents, investment and banking records, tax returns, living wills and durable powers of attorney. Explain that you want to be prepared to help them when needed. This could also serve as a way of finding out what plans he or she have already made and what needs to be done.

7. Ask open-ended questions that encourage your parent to share feelings. Then sit back and carefully listen to learn what is important to him or her.

8. Offer options, not advice. Pose questions and offer more than one acceptable solution. Ask your parent which choice they prefer. This involves them in the decision process and enables them to exercise control and independence.

9. Speak with respect. Approach the discussion as a partner with your parent. In other words, make sure your parent is an active participant in the conversation. Stop to listen and respect their desire and need to maintain control over their lives. Avoid reversing roles in the discussion, that is, you acting as the parent and your parent as the child. This could cause your parent to resist your attempts to open discussion.

10. Keep it simple. As stated earlier, do not try to resolve everything at once. The goal is to open an ongoing, honest dialogue about your parent’s future, to share information and to understand your parent’s wishes and needs so that decisions can be made.

11. Involve third parties if your parent resists your efforts to begin the discussion. He or she may be more open to the guidance of a respected non-family member, such as a doctor, a member of the clergy, a geriatric care manager (www.caremanager.org), representative of an area agency on aging (www.n4a.org) or trusted friends and neighbors who may have already helped a loved one in a similar situation.

Comfort Keepers provides in-home care to seniors and the elderly living in Ocala, Gainesville, and The Villages, Florida. We provide superior in-home care to seniors and the elderly throughout Central Florida so they can live enriched independent lifestyles! Call us today at 855-592-0013.

photo credit: Frerieke

© 2009 CK Franchising, Inc.

Knowing when it’s truly time to provide your adult parent with extra care can be difficult. Many times seniors can seem like they “get by” just fine on their own, but in reality they could use additional help to live a happier and healthier life.

If you’re not sure whether or not your parent truly needs home, take our quiz below. Once you’ve answered all 10 questions, our system will give you a fair assessment as to the level of care your adult parent may, or many not, need.

Comfort Keepers provides in-home care to seniors and the elderly living in Ocala, Gainesville, and The Villages, Florida. We provide superior in-home care to seniors and the elderly throughout Central Florida so they can live enriched independent lifestyles! Call us today at 855-592-0013.