Caring for elderly parents can be a full time job. Depending on their health issues, they may need help preparing meals, cleaning, bathing, etc. There are options to have outside care givers come into homes and care for the elderly or to have elderly parents live in care facilities. However, these options can be a financial burden. Furthermore, adult children may wish to care for their aging parents themselves. When choosing the option of caring for elderly parents at home, it is important to know what that might entail, so a balance between family and professional care can be met, if necessary.
Some of the assistance elderly parents may need involves knowledge of tools such as stethoscopes, bedpans and syringes. If an adult child is not trained to use these tools, it is possible to have a visiting nurse handle care needs that require these tools, while still taking on most of a parent’s care. It is important that respiratory and cardiac functions be monitored correctly. Waste also needs to be removed without hurting the elderly parent.
A lot of time goes into helping elderly parents, if their mobility is limited or their cognitive function is compromised. It may be impossible for adult children to keep up with cooking, cleaning, doctor’s appointments, shopping and hazard proofing for their elderly parents while still maintaining Elderly care of their own homes and children. In these cases, it may be prudent to have at least part time home assistance from a professional or to have elderly parents move into their adult children’s homes in order to maintain stability on both fronts.
One of the most difficult issues an adult child can face when caring for an adult parent is help with bathing. This can be necessary for many reasons, such as lack of balance, inability to stand unassisted and cognitive issues. For the elderly parent, it can be embarrassing to have your child bathe you. For adult children, it may be awkward to see parents nude. However, embarrassment should not stand in the way if there is a real danger involved in an elderly parent showering or bathing without assistance. If the embarrassment cannot be overcome, another family member or a visiting professional will need to come to the home and help.
All of these issues and the specific needs of elderly parents must be considered before making the choice to care for them without assistance or with limited assistance from home. Sometimes adult children of elderly parents have to accept that they need help or they have to get the training necessary to do it alone. It is not an easy choice, as watching parents age is not an easy situation. That is why it is so important to weigh all options and speak to medical professionals about the situation before making a decision.