The challenge of caring for elderly parents is significant. It’s never easy to watch a loved one struggle with the side effects of ageing. Our parents are the ones who looked after us and brought us up to be independent. When we have to be the ones to care for them and be authoritative figures in their lives, it can come as a massive shock and adjustment. Caring for an elderly parent involves a combination of compassion, empathy, communication, motivation and person-centred actions for good outcomes. Here’s everything you need to know about caring for elderly parents.
Person-centred plan for caring for an elderly parent
The first step in caring for an elderly parent involves building a person-centred care plan based on their personal care needs and their strengths, complemented by specific supporting care to help with their weaknesses. As a result, they are less likely to resist accepting your care initially because they feel comfortable with the gradual shift. A number of options exist to provide supportive care depending on their needs:
- Live-in carers
- Residential care
- Hourly carers
- Specialised services
At Care24Seven, we offer each of these services to ensure that your loved one receives the best person-centred and strength-based care possible for their specific needs. If you aren’t comfortable with caring for an elderly parent through a facility, a live-in carer might be the answer. Our dedicated team helps clients find the right carer through in-depth background checks, trial shifts, and expert judgement. We also offer specialised services for those with highly specific needs.
When building your care plan for your parent, an individual must consider a number of factors. These include:
- Finding the perfect carer
- Your personal budget
- The recommended solutions for your loved one’s needs
- Completing a care and financial assessment
Coping with aging parents is never easy. We never want to see our loved ones in distress. Luckily, there are people out there who help with the above factors, so that your loved one receives the best possible care with the best possible solutions.
Caring for an elderly patient in their home
Caring for an elderly parent in their home is exceptionally tough. If you opt to care for an elderly parent in their home without the help of a carer from an external company, there are many options to consider. In order to maintain your parents’ happiness and emotional and physical wellbeing, you need to identify the activities of their daily living and what they require to fulfill these. These activities include:
- Personal hygiene
- Mobility and function
- Toilet hygiene
- Self-cleaning
- Self-feeding
- Taking prescription medication
After you have identified these factors, you can identify what kind of tools and equipment you will need to invest in in order to care for your family member’s safely and efficiently. If you can arrange help through other family members, friends or external carers, then you should lean on these people when possible.
Caring for elderly parents in the UK
Under UK law children are not legally obliged to look after their elderly or ailing parents. However, many people who have the time and resources available do choose to care for their elderly parents themselves, out of love and compassion. Many people also feel a sense of loyalty to look after their parents that can no longer depend on themselves and require extra care.
There is extra help available for those caring for elderly parents in the UK, such as Carers’ Allowance and Council Tax reductions. At Care24Seven, we know that this at-home support is crucial for managing the quality of life of your elderly relatives, as well as providing much-needed relief, allowing you to manage your other responsibilities when you need to. If you’re looking for care provision during holidays for elderly parents, or something more long term, we’re happy to listen to your needs and the needs of your parents to reach a truly personal solution for your care needs.
For more information about how we can support you in coping with aging parents, request a callback from a member of our understanding team, who have all the knowledge you need to make an informed choice about your parents’ care.
Contact Care24Seven
At Care24Seven, we’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can find contact information to get in touch with a member of the team or request a callback here. Whether it’s friendly home care advice, or an urgent home care solution you’re looking for, there will always be someone on hand to help with your query. You can also click here to find the locations of our various branches across West London.