A serious senior woman sits between her unrecognizable female doctor and her husband. She gestures as she speaks with her doctor.
“Absolutely Dad can move in with me!”
Family care providers are making this commendable choice more often, signifying the beginning of changes in lifestyle they can only fully understand once immersed in them. And even though the rewards of providing care for an older loved one are immeasurable, they are not lacking multiple challenges as well.
It may seem natural to manage everyday activities for a senior loved one; however, it’s much less instinctive than it initially seems. As an example, helping a senior in the shower or bath the wrong way can cause a fall. Inadequate incontinence care may cause skin damage and infection. Noncompliance with a recommended nutritional plan can bring about a number of health complications.
It’s not a surprise that in a current report provided by AARP, “Home Alone Revisited,” a lot of family caregivers reported stress over the chance of making an error in the care they provide. The report features answers from a study sent to over 2,000 family caregivers, who revealed that even though they believed their caregiving was enabling their family members to remain at home over a move to an assisted living or nursing home setting, they expressed concern over their proficiency to complete the tasks needed.
Participants in the survey identified that the most emotionally stressful part of caregiving is incontinence care. And, nearly ¾ of family caregivers surveyed are routinely undertaking medical duties associated with pain management – responsibilities for which they wished they’d been given better training and assistance from the senior’s medical care team.
Heather Young, dean emerita at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at the University of California, Davis (and co-author of the report) points out that, “Too often (family caregivers) are unprepared and do not get the support they need to assume these important roles.”
Asking for guidance and training in new tasks is vital for family caregivers. Those who partner with a knowledgeable in-home care provider, like Generations at Home, can decrease the trepidation and uncertainty in managing care at home successfully. Our caregivers are fully trained in the countless intricacies of aging care, and can provide family members with valuable guidance and education. We also offer trusted, reliable respite care services that enable family caregivers to step away from their care duties while knowing their senior family member will be safe and well cared for.
Call us at 727-940-3414 for a free in-home consultation to learn more.
