Senior Care: Best Tips for Family Caregivers of an Elderly Loved One

Senior Care: Best Tips for Family Caregivers of an Elderly Loved One

 January 11, 2022

A woman and an older person sitting on the couch


Senior Care: Do you need to care for your elderly loved one?

If so, there will be many tasks that you are responsible for over the months or years that you are caring for them. The good news is that there are many family caregiver tips out there to help make some tasks a bit easier. In addition, there are also many tips that can help you and your senior care provider to improve the health and safety of your elderly loved one, as well.


Safety at Home


One thing that is often on the minds of family caregivers is the safety of their elderly loved ones. You might hear about a senior citizen falling while they are in the shower and not getting the help you need. Maybe, you heard about a house fire that got out of control because a senior citizen didn’t turn their stove off. If you are worried about the safety of your elderly loved one, there are many ways that you can help to keep them safe including:

  • Hiring senior home care providers
  • Putting new smoke alarms in their house
  • Installing safety knobs on the stovetops
  • Keeping clutter off the floors
  • Putting grab bars in the tub
  • Making sure there is a shower chair in the shower

These are just some of the safety tips that could help your elderly loved ones to stay safe while they are in their home.


Being Flexible


If you are going to be a family caregiver to your elderly loved one, one of the best things to remember is that you will need to be flexible. For example, your elderly loved one may want you to take them to the mall or another store on any given weekend. However, when the time comes to take them, they may not be feeling up to going. You may have already switched around your schedule to go with your elderly loved one. If these types of things are happening often, you may want to agree to take your elderly loved one if you aren’t busy. If you do have something else going on, you could have a senior home care provider take them instead.


Setting Up Medication Reminders


One of the main things that elderly people often forget is to take their medications. If your elderly loved one is taking a lot of medications, this may be even more difficult for them. However, there are many tips that can help senior citizens to remember to take their medication. Some of the best medication reminder tips include:

  • Having you or a home care provider give reminders
  • Setting up smartphone alerts and notifications
  • Turning on an alarm clock
  • Getting them an automated pill dispenser


These are some of the best ways to get your elderly loved one to take their medication as prescribed.


Senior Care: Conclusion


As a family caregiver, there will be a lot of tasks you are responsible for. The good news is there are also many tips that can help you and your senior care provider to keep things on track and safe for your elderly loved one. You can start by utilizing the tips noted above.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Senior Care in Oakland, PA, please contact the caring staff at In-Home Quality Care today. Serving the Greater Pittsburgh Area since 1990! Call412-421-5202

Source
https://www.hhs.gov/aging/healthy-aging/index.html