Home Care: Your parents want to stay in their home, but you worry about how well they’ll be able to manage that.
Your mom fell and broke her wrist. Your dad has gout and can’t walk around when it flares up. You wonder if they can keep their house clean, drive to the store to get groceries and remember to take the medications their doctor prescribed. Is now the time to discuss home care?
It’s time to have a family meeting about your parents’ needs.
For example, if they would benefit from having someone drive them around or help them with meals and housework, you need to work as a family to make sure their needs are covered. Here are the questions you need to ask.
Are Mom and Dad Supposed to Drive?
Should your mom and dad be driving anymore? What does their eye doctor say? First, it’s important to determine if they have conditions like cataracts that may make it harder for them to drive when other cars have headlights on. If that’s the case, they shouldn’t drive on rainy days or before and after the sun rises or sets.
How Is Your Parents’ Health?
When did your mom and dad last see their doctors? Are they due any crucial tests and exams, such as colonoscopies, blood panels, or bone density tests? Have they seen their eye doctors within the last year? How about their dentists?
If they’ve been diagnosed with a chronic health condition, it’s essential to talk about the steps they should take to improve their health. For example, diet and exercise are important steps to take with illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis. Losing weight may also be recommended.
Home Care: Is Housework Hard to Manage?
Can your parents do the basic chores needed to have a safe, germ-free home? For example, can they vacuum stairs, mop floors, sanitize surfaces, and scrub sinks, toilets, showers, and tubs?
Do your parents find it easy to do the laundry? Or, is the weight of the laundry basket too much while walking down the stairs?
Home Care: Make a Call to Ask Your Family’s Questions
Once you have an idea of the home care services that your parents will find beneficial, call a representative and ask about caregivers. Have your list of questions handy. If new questions arise during this conversation, make sure you ask them.
Is anything unclear? If you’re still not sure of an answer, it’s okay to ask for clarification. That’s the best way to make sure you understand how home care services. In addition, it helps you form a partnership with caregivers to ensure your parents get the right level of care.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring in-home care in Paradise Valley, AZ, please contact the caring staff at Home Care Resources at (602) 443-4700
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