How Helping with One Chore is a Lifesaver

If you’ve recently started becoming more involved in your elderly loved one’s care, you may have noticed a shift in how he does things around the home compared to how he did them when you were being raised in the house. After the first visit and noticing that his home is no longer clean like it used to be, you might have just thought you were visiting on a bad day, but if, after numerous visits where his home is in continual disrepair, he might need some help from in-home care providers.

Why Some Home Chores Become Overwhelming

Each person is different, but there are certain chores that tend to give seniors more trouble as they age. It’s usually because of the physical exertion needed to perform the chore, but it can also be because of the complicated manner in which the chore needs to be done, or specific skill sets needed.

Many caregivers notice this drop in home care when one aging loved one loses the person who used to live with them. In many marriages, one person took care of certain chores for the entire relationship, and now that that person is no longer in the home, your loved one has no idea how to perform the chore, or maybe is simply digging in his heels and refusing to do it.

Home Care Chores That Are Hardest For Seniors

• Cleaning those hard-to-reach areas. Your senior may no longer be able to stretch to dust the top of his dresser or bend down easily enough to clean under the sink.
• Deep Cleaning. Scrubbing can become more difficult, especially when a lot of bending and unnatural positions are needed. Think about cleaning the inside of an oven, or trying to clean the grout in the back of the shower stall. Trying to clean these areas can easily lead to injuries for seniors.
• Lifting heavy objects. This can include bringing the garbage out to the curb or carrying laundry up from the basement. If your loved one has a pet, it can include trying to empty a large fish bowl or groom the dog.
• Taking care of the floors. Sweeping, mopping, and scrubbing all involve bending and pushing, and even lifting.
• Outdoor chores such as lawn mowing, gardening, and shoveling snow.

Getting Help with In-Home Care

Getting your elderly loved one help with just one or two of the toughest chores might be all he needs to help him find the energy, strength, and time to do the others. Talk to your loved one about which chores stress him out the much, which ones wipe him out for an entire day if he does them, and finally, which ones he has just stopped doing altogether.

Once you know where your loved one needs help, you can work with an in-home care agency to provide him with the assistance he needs around the home. In-home care providers can visit regularly to help with chores such as laundry, floor care, or even making meals and cleaning up afterward. It might be just the laundry that your loved one needs help with, but having that one chore off his to-do list might give him the help he needs to take care of the rest.

If you or an aging loved one is considering In-Home Care Services in the Prairie Village, KS, area, please get in touch with 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.

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Kevin Edwards

Owner at Elder Care of Kansas City

Kevin’s life and the lives of his immediate family have been impacted by caregivers – either as a patient or a caregiver - for as long as he can remember.He watched his mother take care of his grandmother until her death at the age of 97.Five years later, his father passed from a neurological disorder that was subsequently confirmed as Lewy Body Dementia.In 2007, his wife, Lori, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.The symptoms of Lori’s disease required Kevin to hire a caregiver during the periods of her relapses.

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.

Latest posts by Kevin Edwards (see all)

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