Taking care of your elderly parents, in general, could be exhausting. You have to deal with countless tasks, and sometimes it could be a bit heartbreaking to see them struggling with simple chores. Furthermore, as a mother yourself, you most likely have other obligations, such as taking care of your kids. Simply put, your schedule might already be tight enough as it is.
Nevertheless, as your elderly loved ones have played an essential role in your life, you simply can’t neglect them, even if it means you’d have to juggle with caregiving, family, and work. On this note, the following tips might help you lighten your load.
1. Entrust The Caregiving Duties To Others
‘Busy’ could mean differently for different people. Some have just enough time for caregiving, while others barely have enough time to visit their elderly loved ones. If you’re the latter, you might be better off hiring a helper and entrusting the caregiving duties to them.
You could also contact other family members and ask them if they could take responsibility. You may feel guilty about doing so, but this might be the best choice for both you and your elderly parent, seeing as how you may overlook essential tasks if you keep doing them yourself.
You may also consider entrusting the caregiving duties to quality home care services. These agencies often have other elders, which could be a great way to stimulate companionship.
2. Provide Reliable Transportation
One of the main problems some senior citizens might face is transportation. They may not be fit enough to still walk around the neighborhood, and some may not be capable enough to drive themselves. Also, for those who are not much of a techie, they wouldn’t be able to book a ride either.
As such, you may need to provide your elderly loved one with reliable transportation. You may either hire a driver to take them wherever they want, or you can book a scheduled ride whenever you have time. Hiring a driver may be the better choice, especially since they could respond in case of emergencies.
3. Modify The House
Elders may be quite prone to accidents inside the house. Slipping and falling may be just a few examples. While you couldn’t possibly monitor their movements every minute, especially with your tight schedule, you could make small changes in the house. For starters, you could organize the appliances and furniture so there’s a lower chance for seniors to accidentally hit them. You could also add a few railways or bars in the bathroom, where the chance of slipping is high.
4. Bring Over Nutritional Foods
Some elders might not have enough energy to prepare their own meals or go to the local store to buy their groceries. Or if they could make their own meals, they might not be too mindful about their nutritional value, or the nutrition they get from them might not be enough. And since they can’t likewise go to the grocery store any time they wish, they couldn’t buy themselves healthful food like fruit and vegetables.
On this note, you may consider bringing over nutritional food every time you pay them a visit. Taking a detour to the nearest grocery store would do the trick, so it won’t take much of your time.
5. Invest In Surveillance Equipment
Even if you’re not present on the elderly’s side for the majority of the time, you could still monitor their movements by investing in surveillance equipment. Simply installing cameras and medical alert systems would go a long way in notifying you of any significant events. It could notify you if your parents fall ill or there’s an urgent health situation. It could even remind you if they have a medical appointment coming.
6. Monitor Their Screen Time
Scammers are all around the internet, and older people may be the easiest target, especially those not well versed with gadgets. If they fall to these schemes, chances are they’d lose a lot of money—money that would’ve been spent for their well-being. To avoid this incident, you may need to monitor the elderly’s screen time. Make sure they only use necessary and recreational apps and try to be especially keen on how they use their credit cards for mobile transactions.
7. Encourage Participation In Recreational Events
If your parents are alone most of the time, providing them with a way to entertain themselves would be quite helpful in distracting them. You may encourage them to participate in recreational activities, such as gardening, art, or even walking. These simple activities could help ease the struggles of your elderly loved ones while providing them fun.
Final Words
No matter how busy you are, you could always do a few things that may go a long way in improving the lifestyle of your elderly loved ones. While it doesn’t mean you should always be present to perform such tasks, it’s still best if you could pay them a visit every now and then, just so you could spend some time with them outside of caregiving.
