What is the most important focus on your part when thinking about an aging parent, grandparent, or other loved one living at home alone? If you said safety, you’re like almost every family member out there facing the same type of challenge. Whether you ever thought about home care or not just yet, one thing needs to be understood: safety is important.
In fact, keeping elderly men and women safe should be one of the top priorities of those who choose to support them, either as family members or paid professionals.
Yet, it’s not the only concern. Quality of life should also be something to consider. Quality of life can vary from person to person. One person may do the same exact things as another and report a higher quality of life.
Quality of life can be tied to safety, at least to some degree, but when you only focus on safety as the top priority, then you could be causing stress and strain for that senior. You could also inadvertently drive them to a point where they don’t really have a lot of satisfaction with their life.
That’s because when safety is the most pressing issue, people tend to discount the desires of the senior. Family, for example, could discourage certain activities for that elderly person.
Home care can make a world of difference.
It’s not that family members do something wrong or make mistakes when it comes to caring for aging loved ones. They want their mother or father, spouse, grandparents, or others to be safe.
When you see your elderly mother struggling to walk up and down stairs, wouldn’t it make sense to discourage her from other activities, especially when you’re not there to help her?
Of course, but what happens is that family tends to discourage all activities that they think could be potentially risky. Suddenly, you’re not willing to drive your mother to the park to go for a stroll. You don’t want her walking around the block by herself, or taking out the garbage, or riding the bus or driving the car or doing all these other things because you’re worried about her safety.
An experienced home care aide would step in and support this senior, providing a safer environment through their experienced eyes and viewpoints as well as their presence, but they could also encourage that senior to pursue activities he or she would like to still do.
How home care encourages improved quality of life.
They can do this by first supporting the senior and making sure he or she is safe and then by finding out what they would still enjoy doing or pursuing. If there’s a way to help them do that, they will do so to the best of their abilities, but only if safety is not compromised.
If you find that your elderly family member isn’t as fulfilled or is complaining about your support, talk about home care. It could be the best conversation you have with them this year.
If you are considering home care in Galleria, TX, for an aging loved one, please call the caring staff at At Your Side Home Care. We will answer all of your senior care questions. Call today: (832) 271-1600.
Our Certified Nurse Aides, 24-Hour Live-in Assistants and Home Health Aides are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We also provide the security and confidence of 24-hour Telephone Assistance, so fast, reliable help is always available when it's needed. To learn more about our homecare services see our homecare services page.
Different people need different levels of homecare. To meet the requirements of our clients, At Your Side Homecare maintains consistent staffing levels of caring professionals. Homecare service is available for as little as a few hours a week, or as many as 24 hours a day, seven days a week
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