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by: Gregory Weldy
You have a parent-teacher conference that was supposed to start 15 minutes ago,
but you’re still tied up with Mom at her physical therapy session. Since science
can’t yet clone you, you’ll need to find eldercare solutions that work for you.
If you care for your own children in addition to caring for aging parents,
you’re a card-carrying member of what’s called the sandwich generation. You have
unique challenges, and these tips will help you meet them.
• Find adult day care services or other senior services – Keep Mom physically
and mentally engaged by finding a good quality center that caters to the senior
set. These centers, which you can locate through your local aging agency, offer
field trips, educational classes, and exercise programs designed especially for
seniors. For many families, these facilities become an important part of their
eldercare solution.
• Consider non-medical home care – When you’re caring for aging parents who are
relatively healthy but need help with simple daily tasks, these services can be
a god-send. Professional caregivers can shampoo Mom’s hair or remind Gramps to
take medication. These services can also provide companionship as part of an
eldercare solution. For example, a caregiver might watch a movie with Mom while
you visit a friend.
• Rally family and friends to help – If you work while caring for aging parents,
it may well take a village to provide good care. Have an informal family meeting
to divvy up responsibilities for Dad’s care. From teens who can help him shop to
siblings who can drive him to appointments, family and friends are a crucial
part of caring for aging parents.
In addition, 2/3 of caregivers report they’ve missed work due to a care crisis,
so find a support network that can spring into action when Dad’s not feeling
well, minimizing the time you lose at work because of caring for aging parents.
Remember that family and friends may do things a bit differently than you. For
instance, that meatloaf you asked your spouse to make might turn out tasting
like low-quality cardboard. Don’t complain about the effort. Instead be thankful
that he or she decided to help!
• Enlist professional services – Eldercare solutions aren’t cheap, even if you
decide to care for Dad at home. In fact, some experts estimate it can cost
nearly $16,500 each and every year to cover the cost of both child care and
elder care. In addition, 58% of those caring for an aging parent say their
parent does not have enough money to support their own needs. Don’t put your
family in the poorhouse. Talk to a professional financial advisor with expertise
in counseling children caring for an aging parent.
Also consider advising your parent to file a living will or medical power of
attorney to head off family feuds regarding Mom’s health care wishes. She’ll
feel better knowing her wants are in writing and you’ll feel better knowing you
took the time to plan an eldercare solution.
Caring for aging parents can be stressful for the sandwich generation, but there
are resources that make the job less likely to trigger new gray hairs. Plan your
eldercare solution now.
See Also:
Caring For An Aging Parent – Tips For Easing The Burden
Scary. Exhausting. Life-changing. These are just a few of the thoughts that run
through an adult child’s head when they start to think about caring for an aging
parent.
Seniors' Needs
Are Similar To Younger Adults In Many Ways But Considerably Different In Others
Seniors have the same needs everyone else has.
They need food, shelter, some secure income, friends, something to keep them
entertained, and good medical care.
But it is also true that seniors may have other needs like handicapped
accessibility at home, help with house keeping and shopping, or even skilled
nursing and medical care.
Falls
And The Elderly
More than one in three people age 65 years or older fall each year. The risk of
falling and thus fall-related injuries rises proportionally with age. Each year,
more than 1.6 million older persons go to US emergency departments for
fall-related injuries.
Senior
Drivers - How to Facilitate Your Aging Parent Understand When it is No longer
Safe to Drive
Elderly drivers can be a real problem to themselves and others on the road. As
we age one of the hardest things to do is give up our independence. Convincing
your aging parents the time has come to quit driving is not easy.
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About the Author:
Gregory Weldy is an expert on guiding families through the tough choices and challenges of caring for aging parents. He has written an amazing Free report called, "Nursing Home Nightmares: Challenges of Caring For An Aging Parent". To claim you FREE copy, visit: http://www.BestElderCareAtHome.com
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