Signs It’s Time to Discuss Home Care Options for Your Loved One
Home care services can be a valuable asset for a person as they move through the golden years of life, especially if they’re contending with serious health problems or physical limitations. It may be difficult, though, for someone who has never gone through this before to recognize some of the earliest signs that home care is a good choice.
We’ve put together a list of a few reasons why now may be the right time to sit down and seriously discuss home care support with an elderly person you love, whether it’s your mother, father, spouse, grandparent, sibling, or someone else close to you.
A lot of people shy away from this topic because they don’t want to come across as indifferent, be accused of not caring, or be told by that senior they don’t love them anymore and that’s why you simply want to get rid of them. That’s all rooted in fear, fear of the challenges, fear of the unknown future, and fear of being alone.
Turning to professional in-home care will not leave a senior alone, but would rather provide him or her with the right support they need to get through these challenging times in life. Let’s look at some of the signs that may be evident to indicate now is the time to talk about in-home care options for the senior in your life.
Sign #1: You’re constantly worried about them at home alone.
This might be your mother or father. They may have been widowed or divorced for some time and living alone. Now, though, you notice the physical challenges they’re facing, the health issues. You worry about them alone.
And you worry about them a lot. This isn’t a passing worry or thought; this is more of a constant fear, doubt, or concern about what might happen when they’re alone.
Worry by itself is not necessarily the problem, but when you’re constantly thinking of every worst-case scenario, calling or stopping by repeatedly just to check on them, that is when it becomes a major obstacle.
Sign #2: You’re running yourself ragged.
You might have become a de facto caregiver and are the one running around trying to do everything for them. If you’re like many of the other 44 million family caregivers supporting an aging or disabled loved one (Forbes), you may be sacrificing time with your children, partner or spouse, friends, or even hobbies and activities you love.
When you’re pushing yourself to the limit, to emotional and physical exhaustion, that’s a good sign you need to talk about home care.
Sign #3: Your relationship with the senior is in trouble.
When you sacrifice your time and energy for somebody else, but they don’t seem appreciative, when they start accusing you of all sorts of horrible things, it’s going to hurt. That is exacerbated when it’s your mother or father, spouse, or other close loved one.
If the relationship you have with this individual is in trouble, talk about in-home care.
Sign #4: A medical professional has highly recommended home care support.
If the senior’s doctor, your therapist, or somebody else in the medical field has recommended home care, that’s a sign it’s time to talk about this.
Don’t hesitate. Don’t wait. Discuss it now so you and the senior can start moving toward a brighter future and potentially improved quality of life.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care Services in the Shawnee KS area, please contact the caring staff at Elder Care of Kansas City, today. Proudly serving Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties in Missouri as well as Johnson and Wyandotte Counties in Kansas for over 30 years. Call us at 816-333-3322.
Prior to purchasing Elder Care, Kevin spent over 20 years in the health insurance industry.In his most recent position, he was in a financial operations role with Humana where he worked with doctors, nurses and other health professionals developing programs to keep Humana members healthy.Their focus on primary care and medication adherence improved the lives of thousands of seniors in Kansas City and the surrounding area.
Kevin and his wife, Lori, have three children.Kevin has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Missouri.
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