Helping Seniors Adjust to In Home Care Services

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Making a decision on what kind of care an aging loved one needs can seem impossible. When you find a solution like senior home care services, you may feel a flood of relief as these services are a perfect combination of allowing your loved one to stay in the comfort of their own home and giving them the care they need. Your loved one, however, may not feel the same relief that you do.

Many seniors feel protective of their space and independence. They may see an in-home caregiver as intruding on their day-to-day activities and could be resistant to the change. If your loved one has dementia, it can be even more difficult to get them to allow a stranger into their safe space.

Luckily, there are several things you can do to help your elderly loved one feel more comfortable with the idea of having a caregiver in their home. Hopefully, they will come to appreciate their caregiver and all of the effort you put into getting them the senior home care services they need. Let's take a look at some of the key strategies for helping your loved one adjust to in-home care services.

Discuss the Transition Early

Talking with your loved one about having an in-home caregiver as early as possible is essential. Some people may be reluctant to bring it up and hope that springing the idea on their parents or grandparents will give them less time to protest, but this can make the situation much worse. You want to let your loved one know that they still have control over their living situation and that they are a part of the decision-making process.

Have an in-depth conversation with your loved one about what senior home care services entail and why they're beneficial. If you're among the 26% of adults in America who have provided home care for a family member and you're their current caregiver, be honest about why you need a professional to take over. By having this discussion, you'll give your loved one time to process the change and ask questions while you provide them context and reassurance.

Schedule Meetings with the New Caregiver

It's very important that your loved one meets their new caregiver before they officially begin giving in-home care. This will reassure your senior that they have control over the situation. In-home care providers also tend to prefer to schedule a consultation and meet with the family before starting the care services.

During these meetings, you can ensure that the caregiver has the necessary qualifications and personality to give your loved one the care they need. You should give them all the information regarding your senior's healthcare requirements and what services are expected of them. For instance, it's essential for a caregiver to know if they need to provide dementia home care, as it will differ from home care services for a senior without dementia. You should also ask how often they'll be in communication with your loved one's physician, how they'll keep their plan of care updated, and what they'll do to accommodate changes in their medical requirements.

As you ask these essential questions, remember to let your loved one interact with the caregiver as well. This is the perfect opportunity to see if they'll get along with one another. It also gives your senior the chance to ask any questions they have and feel reassured that this type of care will be beneficial.

Be Understanding

No one likes to feel judgment for feeling a certain type of way and seniors are no different. They're probably going to be nervous to have a new person in their life and home, providing them personal care. If you or another caregiving have been taking care of them for a while, they're probably also going to initially miss the old arrangement. Discounting their complicated feelings surrounding the change in care and pushing them to accept the new arrangement is probably only going to make them resist the change even more.

Instead, be patient with your loved one and encourage them to welcome the change. Try focusing on the positives that senior home care services will bring. If possible, offer support by being at home with them for the first couple of days that their new caregiver is there. This can help them feel more comfortable and have an easier transition. This also gives the new caregiver the chance to observe you interact with your loved one and understand how best to take care of them.

Change isn't easy, but it is often necessary. If you're looking for excellent senior home care near Laguna Woods for an aging relative, contact Comfort Keepers today.