How To Take Care Of Elderly Parents In Your Home

Taking care of your elderly parents, relatives or friends in your home can be very rewarding and a great comfort for your loved one. It does, however, come with special responsibilities that ensure they are safe and not feeling that they are burden.

Here are some ideas for maintaining an environment that enables your parents to live with dignity in a safe and stress-free environment.

Social Aspects

  1. Never talk down to them or be condescending. They may be old and perhaps a bit slower physically and mentally, but they deserve respect and love in big doses.
  2. If you have a demanding and busy career, don’t let stress make matters worse. To simplify your life and ensure that your parents have companionship, consider hiring a qualified Caregiver sourced through a reputable Caregiving service.
  3. Include your parent’s friends and family in their social lives. A link to the past adds a great deal of satisfaction.
  4. Wherever possible take your parents with you on weekend breaks. If necessary take a caregiver with you to make sure you have free time.
  5. Be patient and tolerant.
  6. Aim for stability and routine in their lives.
  7. If possible let them bring their favourite furniture, books and music with them.

Financial Matters

  1. Keep abreast of your parent’s financial wellbeing without appearing to be pushy.
  1. Know where your parents keep important documents.
  1. Protect your parents from unscrupulous or ill-advised financial consultants.
  1. Assess their medical needs and help them make provision for treatment, hospitalisation.

Physical Safety

  1. Keep stairways, passages and walkways well lit and free of obstacles.
  1. If you have children in the home educate them about the need to not leave clutter in their grandparents’ way.
  1. Install night lights, wherever possible.
  1. Add grab bars and railings especially in the bathrooms and along the stairways.
  1. You might want to get avoid loose carpets.
  1. Consider a bath or shower seat to avoid the chance of slipping.
  1. If you need to install ramp ensure that the contractor does not make a steep incline
  1. Remove incendiary devices, such as candles and gas heaters from their rooms and replace with safe items such as LCD lamps and wall heaters.
  1. If you appoint a Caregiver make sure the service has a good safety record.

Anna-Marie Mortimer (RN)

Nurse Clinician, BA Nursing Science

Practice Number: O53O972