Mom and Dad still live at home, but require a little more care than they used to. They may still be relatively independent, but may have trouble getting around, fixing meals, running errands or taking their medications on time. Mom or Dad may be showing signs of dementia or Alzheimer's. A grown child of aging parents can help take care of elderly parents in several ways, one of which is making life a little easier. Organization is the key to determining and providing adequate care depending on need, your parent's overall health and abilities. Discuss ways you can help your parents maintain their independence while at the same time making sure they are safe and secure in their environment.
Step 1
Provide Mom and Dad with a safe living environment. Go through their house room by room and identify potential safety hazards such as loose rugs, old bumpy carpets or lamp cords that may propose fall hazards. Take a look at the arrangement of furniture and rearrange if necessary to allow greater mobility and ease of access, especially if Mom or Dad has a cane, walker or wheelchair.
Step 2
Provide adequate communication access in their bedroom, kitchen and living area so your parent will always be within fairly easy access of a phone in case of an emergency. In addition, set up a schedule where you and, if possible, other family and friends can call your parents on a regular basis to make sure they're OK or if there's anything they need that you can help with.
Step 3
Ensure that Mom or Dad have adequate supervision of their medical needs. If either of them need help with bathing, dressing or other daily activities, and you can't be there to help when they need it, consider calling a home health aid agency to arrange for someone who can come in and help with such tasks to visit your parents once or twice a day.
Step 4
Cook meals ahead of time and store them in your freezer or in your parents' house to ease the burden of cooking every day. If your parents don't have a microwave, consider buying them one so they can easily heat food, especially if one of your parents has been diagnosed with any form of dementia or Alzheimer's, for safety's sake.
Step 5
Inspect the bathroom and make sure it is a safe environment for your parents. Arrange to install grab bars, or install them yourself, to make getting into the tub or shower easier and safer. You may also consider a shower or bath chair so that your parent can sit while bathing. Install a grab bar near the toilet as well, to help facilitate sitting and standing. Install non-skid rugs or strips onto the bathroom floor to help prevent slips and falls.
Step 6
Keep your parents engaged in social activities with peers and community residents as often and as much as you can. Isolation from others is a leading cause of depression, according to "U.S. News & World Report Health" (see References). Encouraging a parent to stay actively involved in the community may also help make an aging parent feel useful and valued.
Step 7
Ask for help, and don't try to carry the burden of caring for elderly parents alone. Providing care for the elderly is demanding physically, emotional and mentally. Support groups, friends and family members provide a strong shoulder for caregivers that cannot be underestimated.
References
- USNews.com: 15 Ways to Take Care of Your Elderly Parents
- More.com: Taking Care of Your Parents--and Yourself
- How to Care for Aging Parents, Morris, Virginia, Workman Publishing, NY, 2004
