Most adults would like to live at home for as long as possible in order to maintain their independence. Luckily, there are plenty of options available to today’s senior, allowing each family to create the structure that would work best for them. As a child of a senior parent, there is a tendency to feel a responsibility towards ensuring your parent’s comfort. Thanks to the array of good homecare and assisted living options, there is actually a lot you can do to help:
- Watch for the warning signs. Keeping an eye out for initial signs that your senior loved one may require assistance will ensure that help doesn’t come too late. Watch for declining house chores, personal care, socialising, memory loss, and physical deterioration. If you notice changes, have the conversation about care and their wishes earlier than later.
- The hiring process. It goes without saying that hiring the right person to care for your senior loved one is a great priority. You can help with the screening process by speaking to several caregivers or caregiving operations. If you are going to hire privately, interview several candidates and always check references. The advantage of using an agency is that they will already have taken care of the hiring process for caregivers, so you just need to find the business that is right for your family and values.
- Financial management. You can help your senior parent by delegating financial management within your family. This will guarantee that they are being carefully looked after – especially in the case of dementia or other cognitive deteriorations that may reduce their ability to manage their interests. Power of attorney should always be delegated within the children as soon as possible (i.e. before senior care becomes an issue) to guarantee there are no issues with this down the road.
If you have questions about how to assist your senior loved one as they age, talk to as many professionals as you can to harvest different opinions and expertise. The more knowledge your family is equipped with, the better prepared you will be for your journey with senior care.