One of the biggest questions you and your senior might have is whether independence is still possible for her. The short answer is that your elderly family member can likely be as independent as she wants, even with a little help from you and in-home care providers. The key is whether she allows people to help her when she needs it the most.

What Does Independence Mean to Her?

If your aging family member talks a lot about independence, it’s important to figure out what that means to her. Does that mean never having help, or does it simply mean that she’s still living in her own home? Nailing down a definition that she’s operating under helps you understand what she’s going to accept and what she might feel is you trying to take away some of her choices. It’s vital to know what you’re up against, so that you can help her understand your intentions.

Having Help Doesn’t Mean She’s Not Independent

The first thing your senior needs to truly understand is that just because you’re offering help and trying to ensure that in-home care services are there for her, that doesn’t mean that she’s no longer independent. Having help does not take away control or choices. In fact, it helps your elderly family member have both the time and energy to do the things she needs and wants to do independently.

Determine What Help She Needs

You have to know exactly what types of help your senior needs. Elder care providers can help her keep her home clean and her laundry done, for example, or they can run errands and make sure she has groceries. What they do for her depends on what she needs the most help managing. No one will force your senior to accept help she doesn’t truly need.

Encourage Her to Accept Help

With all that in mind, it’s important to find ways to encourage your senior to accept help from in-home care professionals. This can be a big adjustment for her, especially if she views independence in terms of doing everything completely by herself. Talk with her about what will make her feel more comfortable with this level of assistance.

Give Her Time to Adjust and Adapt

Finally, she’s going to need some time to adjust her perspective and adapt to having some help. For aging adults who have always handled everything on their own, making this shift takes some time. Remind your elderly family member that you’re willing to stick with her the whole way.

Above all, relearning how to define independence is a big ask for your elderly family member. Letting her have the time she needs to deal with the changes can help her make that shift more quickly.

Aviva In-Home Care provides compassionate and skilled in-home care. We are the Bay Area’s premier provider of in-home care services.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional In-Home Care in San Carlos Hills, CA, call the caring staff at Aviva In-Home Care. Call today: (415) 795-2203

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Evan Loevner

CEO at Aviva In-Home Care

As a former hospital administrator, I launched Aviva with the goal of having a more focused, direct impact on the delivery of care than I could ever accomplish within a hospital setting. For me, the joy of running an organization like Aviva In-Home Care is having the ability to positively improve the lives of individuals needing customized care. As a passionate Bay Area resident, I know that many local seniors can benefit from new approaches to in-home care, that will bring them more connection to the community, and provide families with a greater sense of comfort that their loved one is indeed matched with an ideal caregiver.

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