Four Things to Think about as a New Caregiver

Becoming a caregiver is a big challenge. There are situations that you need to address from the start that can help your elderly family member and yourself years from now. This is a marathon, not a sprint, so keeping yourself in the best position possible to be an asset for your senior is vital.

Figuring Out Communication Challenges Is Crucial

Communication is a big deal in caregiving. There are all sorts of ways that communication can be a challenge. How you and your senior communicate, whether that’s well or whether communication is strained, is definitely important to assess. Figuring out how to work together is absolutely crucial. But there are practical communication challenges to consider, too. Does your senior need additional communication tools, like a personal alarm system? These are questions you may have to answer over time.

Home Safety Is Vital

Home safety covers a lot of ground. At the highest level, you want to make sure that your elderly family member’s home is a safe one for her to live in. This is especially important if she’s planning to age in place. You’re going to want to check security issues, exterior safety, and interior safety. Does your senior have carbon monoxide detectors as well as smoke detectors? How about fire extinguishers? All of these concerns need to be addressed.

Overall Safety Is a Key Issue

Health issues and other needs can dictate what your senior needs in terms of overall safety concerns, too. Some of this falls under home safety, such as making sure that clutter and other tripping hazards are addressed. Other considerations involve things like whether your elderly family member is doing the things her doctor recommends or whether she’s experiencing mobility challenges that weren’t an issue in the past.

Lifestyle Changes Can Help a Lot

Your senior may need to adopt some lifestyle changes if she’s serious about aging in place. She needs to eat nutritious meals, for example, instead of only snacking on junk food or relying on convenience foods or takeout. Exercising might be one of the lifestyle changes her doctor recommends, because that helps her to maintain her strength and to build her endurance. Both are incredibly important if she wants to stay where she is.

Gaining experience as a caregiver means that you’re going to be better able to help your senior to achieve her goals, whatever those might be.

Bringing in home care providers can help you to do an even more thorough assessment of those needs, and you’ll get hands-on help that you and your senior can both benefit from.

If you are considering home care in Oakwood, OH, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Touching Hearts At Home of Dayton today at 937-558-9394.


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