Time To Reverse The Roles? How A Home Health Care Agency Can Help You Care For Your Aging Parent
If you're responsible for your aging parent, and it's getting to be too much for you to handle, it's time to look for outside help. Home health care agencies can provide you with the help you need to properly care for your parent. Asking for outside assistance doesn't mean you're weak. It means that you recognize that your parent needs more assistance than you can provide on your own. That's why home health care agencies are there--to help you give your parent to loving care they need. Here are just four of the ways that a home health care agency can help you care for your parent.
Provide Assistance With Daily Activities
If your loved one is still able to live on their own, but they're not as active as they once were, a home health care agency can help pick up the slack. Home health care workers will come into your parents home and help with things like basic housecleaning, meal preparation, and personal hygiene needs. You can also arrange to have them take your parent to their doctors appointments, or to the store for their weekly grocery shopping. This assistance will help clear up your schedule so that you can take care of other things in your life.
Provide Monitoring for Medical Conditions
If your parent suffers from medical conditions that require routine monitoring, and they can't do the monitoring for themselves, they're going to need help with that. Unfortunately, you can't always be there to help. Your home health care agency will arrange for a health care worker to come in and take care of the monitoring for you. They can provide help with diabetic and blood pressure monitoring. They can even come in and make sure that your parent is taking their medication as prescribed.
Provide Opportunities for Social Interaction
If your parent lives alone, but isn't ready to move in with you or into an assisted living facility, their social circle might be getting smaller. A home health care worker can help provide your parent with opportunities for social interaction. Not only will they be there to visit with your parent, but they can also help your parent get out to local groups and community centers. This increased social interaction will help your parent avoid the depression that can accompany being home bound.
Provide One-on-One Care for Dementia Patients
If your parent suffers from dementia, and has moved in to your home, you know that they require constant monitoring. Unfortunately, that can leave you feeling tied to your home, especially if you don't have anyone else to provide the supervision your parent needs. Most home health care agencies have personnel that are trained in dementia care. That means you can have a professional health care worker come in and care for your parent when you're not able to.