Even a healthy and independent senior can benefit from the assistance of others. If you have a senior loved one who will soon require in-home care, it’s never too early to start planning for it. The following tips can guide you and your loved one through this process.
Increase Home Safety
Making sure your loved one will have a safe home environment is crucial. Since seniors can end up with serious injuries due to falls, it’s important to reduce this risk. Consider installing safety bars in bathrooms and hallways and remove or secure tripping hazards like cords and area rugs. Make sure stairways have plenty of lighting. If your budget allows, you might even want to have some home remodeling done to increase safety, such as adding a bedroom on the first floor so your loved one won’t have to use the stairs.
Many older adults are choosing to age in place, and some need a helping hand to continue living at home safely and comfortably. Luckily, there is professional home care Rhode Island seniors can trust and rely on.
Sort Out the Finances
Part of in-home caregiving involves making sure your loved one will have enough money to cover the cost of medication, medical equipment, and other expenses. Take a close look at your loved one’s finances and help him or her work out a budget that takes these expenses into account. Set aside money for these costs now so it will be available to use toward home care services.
Gather Information on Your Loved One’s Health Conditions
If your loved one has been diagnosed with a serious health condition like dementia or diabetes, this could make caregiving a greater challenge. Begin gathering resources now to learn more about your loved one’s conditions. This can help you fully prepare to care for your loved one and meet his or her evolving needs as the conditions progress.
Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of in-home care. You can rely on Home Care Assistance to provide an individualized care plan to meet your elderly loved one’s unique care needs. Our holistic Balanced Care Method was designed to help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits, such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and our Cognitive Therapeutics Method offers mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia.
Seek Outside Help
Caring for a senior can turn into a full-time responsibility. If you plan on providing care on your own, make sure you’re able to take care of yourself as well by managing stress, eating healthy, and exercising. Keep in mind you might need to seek out additional help to prevent caregiver burnout. This might mean turning to other family members or hiring a professional caregiver.
For many seniors in Rhode Island, live-in care is an essential component of aging in place safely and comfortably. However, it’s important for them to have caregivers they can trust and rely on. At Home Care Assistance, we extensively screen all of our live-in and 24-hour caregivers and only hire those who have experience in the senior home care industry. Our strict requirements ensure seniors can remain in the comfort of home with a reduced risk of injury or serious illness. If your loved one needs professional home care, Home Care Assistance is here to help. To hire a compassionate, dedicated caregiver, call us at (401) 284-0979 today.