Tips On How To Care For The Elderly At Home

Older people need special attention and special care that younger people can provide. We share some tips that may be useful for this task.

Grandparents, parents, in-laws or uncles may need our care when they reach a certain age. Some families choose to take their relatives to specialized care centers or hire someone to assist them. Instead, others decide to keep them at home and give them the attention they deserve themselves. In this article we offer you several tips on how to take care of the elderly at home.

Being in the care of a senior citizen can be very rewarding and exhausting at the same time. Especially if you cannot take care of yourself or have a neurodegenerative disease.

Keys to caring for the elderly at home

The following tips can help keep caring for older family members at home from becoming a burden or frustrating.

Do not carry all the task alone

Perhaps the women of the house (daughters, daughters-in-law, nieces) are in charge of caring for the elderly, for reasons of parentage. However, many times it is also due to social conceptions. It is good for everyone who lives in the same house to take care of the tasks involved in caring for that person.

One cannot handle everything alone. Especially if the father, mother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, uncle or aunt is sick, cannot get out of bed, must follow a specific diet, etc. If you find yourself caring for an older person and feel like you’re overloaded with tasks, ask others for help. Always do it with respect and in a good way.

This study by the Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology emphasizes the need to ask for help when necessary. It is important that compatible and multidisciplinary measures are developed that do not burden a single individual with the responsibility associated with these kinds of situations.

Don’t feel guilty

Many children or nephews choose to leave the relatives in a specialized home for the elderly and feel very guilty about it. In other cases, not being able to meet the expectations of the family member produces similar sensations. It is good to keep in mind that you are doing the best you can.

Also keep in mind that the decision made has to do with several factors and has been analyzed, that we cannot always make everything perfect, etc.

To avoid these feelings, you can, for example, hire an assistant to take care of the person at night or during the hours when we are not at home. In this way, the elderly person remains at home and is being cared for by someone who has experience. And if you do not have the money for it and the decision is to take care of it together, do not feel guilty if something does not go well.

Be organized

This is the key not only for caring for the elderly, but for life in general. In this particular case, it’s good to plan ahead and be orderly. For example, it is important to be organized, among other things, to:

• Make no mistake with medication
• Always have emergency or medical telephones at hand
• Notify neighbors and family if help is needed

• Not running out of remedies or diapers
• Carry out the procedures in the clinic or hospital in advance
• Know correctly the times of taking pills (we can set alarms to not miss the shots if we are busy)

For older people it is good to follow a routine of bathing, meals, walks, etc. and for the caregiver, the day to day will be easier.

Learn about caring for the elderly

There are various courses or support groups for relatives of sick or elderly people who stay at home. It can be a perfect place to learn about the most important things to consider. It can even help you vent to people who are in the same situation as you.

Feel free to read as much as you can about it. You can also consult experts, hire someone and learn some of their techniques to apply later, etc.

Take some time for yourself

You can’t spend all day taking care of your parents, in-laws, uncles, or grandparents. This does not mean that you are a bad person or someone selfish, but it is also necessary that you satisfy your social, recreational, playful needs, etc.

Take an hour or two each day to do what you love the most. Whenever possible, try to be outside the home and not in the company of the elderly person you care for. If you don’t have anyone else to help you, hire someone to spend just a few hours at the house and you can do whatever you want.

Sleep well

If you are tired, it is more difficult for you to assist someone who is elderly and, in many cases, sick. Therefore, get enough sleep as required by your body. Lack of sleep will decrease your ability to concentrate, solve problems, be attentive to the needs of the family member, remember important things, etc. It is said that 8 hours a night is the ideal, although 7 is also a good amount. It all depends on the quality of rest.

If you get the chance, take a nap. Try to rest when the old man does too. If you have had children, think about the time when they were babies. It is something similar now. If you can hire someone to help you, take the opportunity to sleep when they are at home.

Learn to say no

Surely you will have many responsibilities and activities that you will not be able to attend or fulfill. Do not overload yourself with things or reduce the time you take care of those things. If you are dedicating your time to taking care of your parents, you will not have many free hours. Therefore, do not commit to things that you will not be able to fulfill later. Remember that you cannot do everything and that the day only has 24 hours.