For caretakers of elderly family members, there will often come the point when additional help is needed. Whether due to burnout or other obligations, many families will turn to home care for their loved one when the stress or daily requirements become too much for them to handle. Unfortunately, many older adults will see this support as a waste of money, an invasion of their privacy, or an insult to their abilities in old age.
Seniors will rarely admit they need help, even if they are desperate for it. Talking about in-home care for a loved one can seem like an extremely sensitive subject, and, often, bringing up the issue may lead to arguments or an outright denial of help. This article will look at some helpful tips to introduce home care to your loved one to make it seem more acceptable – even if they have already declined the help previously.
Determine Why They Don’t Want In-Home Care
One of the easiest ways to begin breaking down barriers or hesitation from a loved one is to determine what they fear or dislike about the process. With this information, the family may be able to find alternative options that suit the individual needs of an elderly family member. By far, the most crucial part of this process is that your loved one will feel heard, and they will know that their opinion still matters in the discussion.
Understanding the concerns that your loved one has when looking into in-home care also helps the current caretaker or family address them. One great way to overcome this problem is to get them involved in the process or selecting a caretaker so they can be comfortable in the decision. This also helps create rapport between the two instead of the process being abrupt when a caretaker arrives at the home.
Start Slowly and Ease into the Idea
Often, all it takes is a little time for an older adult to become more comfortable with the idea of home care. Starting slowly and introducing a caretaker incrementally can help your loved one adjust to the idea of someone being around to help. To start, a caregiver should come for just a few hours weekly to help and focus on more minor personal aspects of the care process.
As time goes on, the amount of time that the new caretaker is spending at the home could be advanced as additional tasks are given to them. This slowed-down process helps ease a loved one into the idea of home care and allows them to be more comfortable with the process. However, it is still important to gauge and respect their feelings throughout the process if they feel like the process progresses too fast for their security and mental wellbeing.
Shift the Focus Away from Them
When all else fails, introducing in-home care to a loved one could be as simple as shifting the blame away from them. This will help preserve their dignity and help them feel more comfortable about accepting help because the fault will not be on them. One way to take this approach is to say that the support is to alleviate some of the burdens for yourself to make them less likely to feel guilt or a loss of independence.
One other way to shift the focus away from an elderly family member and place the burden on another party is to utilize a doctor’s authority. If a doctor recommends that home care be sought, then an elderly individual will be more likely to seek it since they respect the authority that a doctor carries. These notes are often available with little resistance if a doctor understands that this is the best approach to continued care.
Let Deano’s Senior Transit Help
Introducing home care does not mean that you have to keep a loved one from doing the things they enjoy. Ensuring that your senior parent can still attend social gatherings, visit with family, and accomplish typical daily routines provides them with the opportunity to live a fuller life. Our mission is to provide safe, comfortable transportation for seniors while easing the burden this responsibility may create for family members. Request your ride with us today!