Being a family caregiver, whether it’s something you do on a part-time or full-time basis, means you’ll likely have a lot on your plate at any given time. One way to ease your own burden and enhance your peace of mind and the quality of care you provide for a senior loved one is to have the right tools and resources. Here are six recommendations.
1. Organized Documents
You never know when you or your loved one may need an important document. By having a specific place where you keep all documents that could fall into this category, anything that’s needed can be quickly accessed. This can be done with a box or safe, or you can store documents electronically on a designated hard drive or in a cloud service.
Typically, important documents for seniors include:
• A standard or living will or healthcare directive
• Home mortgage documents and house deeds/titles
• Banking and other financial information
• Contact details for doctors and other medical professionals
• Insurance and financial documents
If you opt to store this info electronically, add a password for extra protection. Also, consider including your own personal documents for added convenience.
2. Medication Management Apps
According to Healthline.com, a third of older adults in the United States take at least five medications. Make it easier for you and your loved one to keep track of medications with a modern-day version of the pill organizer: the medication app. Pill Reminder by Medisafe, MyMedSchedule, and RxmindMe are some of the easy-to-use apps Pharmacy Practice News recommends for this purpose.
Whether you need respite from your caregiving duties or your aging loved one needs live-in care, Jefferson County, CO, Home Care Assistance can meet your family’s care needs. Our dedicated caregivers are available around the clock to provide transportation to doctor’s appointments, ensure seniors take their prescribed medications, and help with a variety of tasks in and outside the home.
3. Caregiver Calendar
One of the top stressors for many caregivers is trying to keep track of all the responsibilities related to caring for their older loved ones. Achieve this goal with a caregiver calendar as one of your go-to tools. This can be done with a spreadsheet, an app, or a website specifically designed for this reason, such as Care Calendar
4. Senior-Specific Services
You can take some of your caregiving tasks off your to-do list by putting together a list of easily accessible services for seniors. Keep the focus on what’s available in your loved one’s area. Senior-specific services to consider for this type of list include:
• Senior transportation services for times when you’re not able to provide rides
• Home medication delivery services, which can include local pharmacies that deliver
• Meal delivery services if you have concerns about your loved one eating well
Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of at-home care. You can rely on Home Care Assistance to provide an individualized care plan to meet your elderly loved one’s unique care needs. Our holistic Balanced Care Method was designed to help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits, such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and our Cognitive Therapeutics Method offers mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia.
5. Caregiver Support Groups
Become a more informed family caregiver by exploring your options with caregiver support groups. This type of support can come from in-person groups or ones based online. Such groups give you an opportunity to share your thoughts and receive advice from other caregivers.
6. In-Home Care
In-home care providers can be a very useful resource when it comes to enjoying a healthier balance in your life. And because in-home care professionals are carefully screened and thoroughly trained, there’s no need to feel guilty when you’re not able to provide care for your parent yourself. In fact, in-home care can boost your loved one’s quality of life while also giving you more time for other important things and obligations in your life.
Caring for a senior loved one can be challenging for families who don’t have expertise or professional training in home care, but this challenge doesn’t have to be faced alone. Family caregivers can turn to Jefferson County Home Care Assistance for the help they need. We provide high-quality live-in and respite care as well as comprehensive Alzheimer’s, dementia, stroke, and Parkinson’s care. Call (303) 987-5992 today to speak with a friendly and experienced Care Manager to formulate a home care plan for your loved one.