Senior care is a family event, involving everyone in your immediate family and not just the individual in need. This is especially true if your elderly loved one currently lives with you. They are, and always have been, an important part of your family, and caring for them is an important family function. It’s also an act of love. When something like Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia begins to affect rationality and decision making, the family members left in charge are faced with the task of trying to figure out what is best for the person that they care so much about.
However, senior care is, and should be, a family task because there is a good chance that one person doesn’t know everything there is to know about their loved one’s wants and wishes. If you are tasked with being the main caretaker for an elderly parent or grandparent, even if you have been given power of attorney, you might not know what your loved one’s wants are for their long term care situation. Your children, or brothers and sisters, might know something that you don’t through past conversations. For example, maybe your mom told your brother that she definitely does not want to be put in an assisted living facility when she begins to need assistance. If you didn’t know this, there is a chance that you could have made arrangements for this to happen. It is an honest mistake, but it’s one that didn’t need to happen, and it’s one that could contribute to your mother becoming unhappy. If you can avoid it, you should do your best to do so.
In-home care is often cited as the first and most favorable choice by those that do need assistance around the house. It keeps them in a familiar and loved setting, it eliminates the stress of being relocated, and it keeps them closer to the people that they love. In-home care is a great choice because it involves so little work, yet it usually accomplishes everything that you need it to, and then some. A high quality caregiver can help with everything that your elderly loved one needs assistance with around the house, but they also act as a constant companion, and eventually, a trusted friend. This is something that is irreplaceable, and something that often doesn’t happen within other types of long term care. You are most likely overextending yourself to be a loving and supportive family member, but having a new friend from outside the immediate family is an experience that cannot be replicated.
There are research studies out there that say about 80 percent of senior citizens want to stay in their homes as they age. Aging in place has also been shown to have significant medical attributes to it, especially amongst those suffering from dementia. If this is a safe and wanted option for your family, it is worth considering, especially if your loved one has expressed a desire to do so. As a loving family, it is your job to be respectful and honorable to those that you love. In-home care is often an easy way to accomplish this.
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