When you are a family caregiver for an elderly adult, your care efforts and decisions do not just affect you and that senior. They also affect everyone else in your family.
This is especially true if you have decided to transition your parent into living in your home with you, your partner, and your children. This can be extremely beneficial for your parent and for the others in the family, but it is very important to be aware of the challenges that this can create for your family and to take the time to talk to them about it so that everyone involved can be confident and prepared for this change.
Use these tips to help you talk to your family about your senior moving in:
Explain to them why you made this decision. Be clear about any challenges that your parent has faced and the benefits of them living with you. This helps your family to feel as though this was not just an arbitrary decision
Focus on the benefits of having your parent in the home, such as getting to spend more quality time together, you not having to be away to take care of them in their own home, and reduced or even eliminated need for babysitters or daycare if your parent is going to be helping with the care
Reassure them that routines and traditions that you already have will not be changed. For example, reassure them that you will still have pizza and family movie night on Friday, or that you can still spend Sunday playing board games. Help them to understand that this can be an enhancement to your lifestyle, not something that changes it negatively
Be open to listening to their concerns and questions, and address them in the best way possible. Be willing to hear and acknowledge their emotions, and be supportive. Remember that this is a major adaptation for them, too
Being a family caregiver for an elderly adult can pose a wide variety of challenges and difficulties, but fortunately, home care can help.
Having an in-home care provider as a part of your regular care routine with your senior can be an exceptional way to meet their needs and encourage a high quality of life for them while also easing your stress. This type of care provider can be with your parent on a schedule that works for you as well as for them, meaning that they will always have access to the care, support, and assistance that they need to manage their individual needs and challenges in the way that is right for them.
This helps them to stay healthy, safe, comfortable, and happy, while also helping them to pursue a lifestyle that is an active, engaged, and independent as possible as they age in place. For you as their caregiver, this care can give you tremendous peace of mind and ease your stress, helping you to feel more confident and focus your energy and attention in the ways that are most effective and efficient for your parent and for your other responsibilities and obligations.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering Home Health Care in Orinda CA, call the caring staff at Aviva In-Home Care. Call today: (415) 795-2203
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