Making the decision to talk to your elderly father about home care aides is a great one. There are numerous home care options for seniors, but the most common are aides, men and women who support seniors and disabled adults with basic tasks of everyday life.
Some of these tasks can include getting out of bed in getting dressed. They may include preparing meals, taking them shopping, assisting them up and down the stairs. It can also include helping the elderly client into and out of the shower or to ease down onto the toilet and get back up from it.
When hiring home care support services, there are some tips that can help you make the adjustment, especially if you have been your father’s primary caregiver for some time.
Tip #1: Agree on a schedule that works.
This schedule isn’t about what works best for you, but what works best for your elderly father. If he needs the most help and support in the morning, make sure the home care aide will be there when he needs assistance. For example, if he has difficulty just getting out of bed, somebody should be there at the house to help them do this simple task and help them get dressed.
Home care agencies can place caregivers with clients for just a couple of hours at a time, so even if your father and only needs help for a little while in the morning and then again in the evening, you should be able to find that support through a local agency.
Tip #2: Give the new aide space.
Your nervous, you don’t know what to expect, and as a result you may smother this new caregiver. What you need to do is give this person some space to work. Let him or her take the lead. Try to avoid dictating what they should or shouldn’t do, but offer recommendations and allow this individual to get to know your father because, most likely, they will listen to what he says, what he wants to do, and figure out what works best for them.
Tip #3: Encourage him to be honest and forthright about his abilities and limitations.
Some people have a habit of overestimating what they can do, underestimating or underreporting their limitations, and that can cause challenges. Encourage her father to be forthright and honest. When he is, he will be laying the foundation that helps the home care aide assist him best.
If you are considering senior care in Hamilton, VA, for an elderly loved one, please contact the caring staff at Home Helpers Home Care in Leesburg. (703) 297-4642.
