HOW TO HELP SENIORS ACCEPT CAREGIVING SUPPORT AT HOME
There’s no place like home. Most of us love the comfort of our own home. In fact, an AARP survey of adults shows that 3 out of 4 adults age 50 and older want to stay in their homes and communities as they age. That is 76% of adults 50+ that want to live in their home as long as possible. Can you blame them, who wouldn’t want to age in place? There’s nothing better than the comfort of our own home, our own surroundings, the memories our children and grandchildren have made in our home. Have you ever tried to talk to a loved one about getting in-home care? It’s not always as easy as it sounds. Many fear that they will lose independence, be a burden on a caregiver, and overall just resist assistance from others. Just click your heels together three times and say ‘There’s no place like home’ and you’ll be there. While that may not work exactly, Happy at Home can certainly provide a few ways to help the senior citizen or loved one in your life accept caregiving support at home.
How can we help our loved ones accept caregiving support at home?
When talking to your loved one about caregiving support at home, it may be easy peasy. And if that’s the case, give yourself a little bit of a high five, you’re one of the lucky ones. It’s not always easy, and that’s okay. It’s important to make sure that whenever you’re talking to seniors about accepting caregiving support at home you:
- Make your loved one feels safe
- Clear and concise communication about what having an in-home caregiver means
- Reinforce the benefits of what in-home care allows your loved one to do
- Stay positive!
There are several reasons that an aging loved one may not accept caregiving support at home. Common reasons an elderly loved one may not accept caregiving support is due to:
- Fear of losing independence
- Not wanting to be a burden on anyone
- Loss of control of day-to-day activities
- Lack of trust in caregivers
- Ego – self-preservation
You can address some of their reluctance to in-home care pretty easily through an open line of communication. Happy at Home has some great talking points to address some of their fears.
In-home care allows your loved one to….
In-home care allows your loved one to maintain their independence
Many seniors fear that allowing for in-home care means they lose their independence but the reality of it is, is that in-home care allows for them to maintain their independence. Aging. It happens to all of us, it’s just a natural part of life. As we get older we need more support. For some, that means moving in with a family member or loved one, for others it means moving into a senior living community, and for others, it means moving into an assisted living home. With our flexible hours, personalized caregivers matched to clients and flat rate pricing, we believe strongly that exceptional in-home care allows for your loved one to maintain their independence. We are there for them as much or as little as they need it. Our caregivers provide all the support your loved one needs to maintain an independent life.
Communicating to your loved one how in-home care supports independence rather than take it away is important. Focusing on the positive is great. We all need support as we age.
In-home care allows your loved one to get the support they need for day-to-day activities
The older we get, the more support we may need day-to-day. Turn this into a positive thing! In-home caregivers can help you with all of those things you’ve never liked. If your loved one has been giving you signs that they need to quit driving (aka multiple new dings on their car), highlight the positives of having someone who can drive for them. Does your loved one hate running errands or going grocery shopping? No problem, in-home caregivers are here to help. Does someone have a forgetful memory? Our caregivers can help make sure they’re taking their medications when they need to be. Day-to-day activities won’t seem as much as a burden when they have helpful and caring people to assist them. Encourage them that they deserve a helping hand, they’ve worked hard for a long time and now it’s ok to let someone else assist with a few tasks.
There are certainly many benefits of receiving some assistance; the important thing to communicate to your loved one is that these are an asset. Caregivers are here to merely assist you as much or as little as you need. Think of it as a little extra love to help keep your energy for things that matter.
In-home care allows your loved one to preserve their relationship with family members and loved ones
Make it about you. You need them to have a caregiver because it would help you out, give you peace of mind and give you time to do more enjoyable things with them. Allowing an in-home caregiver to take care of your loved one means that you and your loved one can now focus on the things that matter most, fun times and loved ones. Being a caretaker for family or friends is hard, and it takes a toll on your relationship. Your loved one may not see themselves as a burden, and it’s important not to make them feel that way, but it’s also important to highlight how having a third party person taking care of them gives you all more free time to enjoy each other, love one another and have a healthy and loving relationship. Your time can now be spent on visiting, going to dinner or a movie rather than dishes, laundry, and grocery shopping.
When talking to your loved one, make sure to communicate how much you love them and how having an outside caregiver to support them will help ensure that you can maintain your special relationship with them.
In-home care allows your loved one to feel safe.
It’s important to reassure your loved one that anyone they let into their home is a professional caregiver. Happy at Home fully screens every one of their caregivers to make sure they are trustworthy. Someone that is there to help them, support them and provide companionship. Part of what makes us love what we do is feeling like a part of your family. We’ve created a culture that allows our caregivers to be a part of your extended family.
Communicating to your loved ones that they will have someone that is in their home, that helps them and that makes them feel safe is important. All of our caregivers are hand selected and Happy at Home believes strongly in personalized caregivers matched to our clients. This helps make sure that your loved one feels safe in their own home.
These are just a few ways to help seniors accept caregiving support at home. It’s important to make them feel safe, feel heard and communicate how they can maintain their independence. In-home care is a great way to help your loved one stay at home. Accepting caregiving support from someone is often hard but communication and making sure to highlight all the positives can help provide your loved one the support that they need.
Happy at Home is an in-home care company providing exceptional in-home care services including help with grocery shopping, errands, bathing & dressing, transferring, pet care, light housekeeping, and more. Our personalized care offers peace of mind and gives your loved ones the one-on-one care they deserve. We are located in Chico, Sacramento and opening up soon in Southern Oregon. Please contact us today to discuss how we can be of service to you or your loved one.