Sometimes You Just Need Extra Help

Posted on: 14 June 2017

Have circumstances in life brought about one of your parents moving in with you? There are probably many thoughts racing through your head. More than likely, there is a sadness that your parent's youth has slipped away. You are also facing the realization that it is up to you to make your mother or father comfortable and happy. If you work outside the home, there is the added pressure of being away for long periods of time. Here are some ideas that might help you to care for your parent in your own home:

Make An Assessment - Be very honest with yourself as you consider the amount of care your parent will need. Ask yourself questions like:

• Can my mother or father be left alone for periods of time?
• What kind of support system will I have?
• Is my parent able to take care of his or her personal needs?
• What activities will my parent still be able to do outside of the home?

Make A Plan - Depending on the answers to your questions, you can proceed with making a plan that will work for both you and your parent:

• Communicate openly with your parent to see what he or she would like to do.
• Would he or she enjoy having visitors during the day? If so, help that to happen.
• Would your parent feel good about helping with chores? He or she might love preparing an evening meal. 
• Perhaps your parent would enjoy going somewhere like a senior citizen center or to club meetings. If so, arrange rides for that to happen.

Consider Living Assistance - Getting professional help might be an important answer to the help you need in caring for your parent:

• A professional can come in for just a few hours a day, thus giving you a break to run errands and have your own personal time away from home.
• If you work outside the home, a professional care giver can arrive at whatever time you need and will stay until you arrive home.
• An assisted living worker will be happy to do activities that your parent enjoys. For example, he or she will accompany your parent on walks or will play board games with your parent.
• The care giver can also serve meals, make sure that your parent takes his or her medicine and often even do light housekeeping.

Whether you do it by yourself or whether you hire an assisted living worker, be sure to take good care of yourself. After all, you have to be healthy in order to help the parent who gave you so much care as you were growing up.

Contact companies like Mayfair Village Retirement Community for more information and assistance.