Complement the Care You Offer With Homecare Services

Homecare Indianapolis

Homecare Indianapolis

Your mom has Alzheimer’s and needs your help in many aspects of her daily life. When you’re a family caregiver, it’s easy to spend so much time helping your parent that you lose sight of the things you need. Make sure you’re using homecare to complement the care you provide.

What Do You Do Each Day?

When you’re helping your mom, what do you do each day? You probably have to help her with housekeeping and laundry. She cannot cook her own meals, so you have to do it for her.

If your mom still likes to go outside for walks, she can’t go alone. If she has pets, she’ll need guidance on how to properly care for them. There’s a lot to do each day, and it helps to have a paid caregiver available for some of it, especially if you still have kids at home or a job to do.

How Often Does Your Mom See Her Medical Team?

How many appointments does your mom have with her team of doctors? In addition to at least two yearly dental exams, your mom will have yearly exams with her primary care doctor, appointments every few months with her memory care team, and appointments with other specialists for mental health care and counseling, bone health, etc.

All these appointments require transportation. Your mom cannot drive herself. If you’re at work and can’t get time off to take her to these appointments, a professional homecare aide is the next best thing.

Do You Still Work?

Are you balancing work and your mom’s care? This is common with family caregivers, and it’s stressful. Half of all family caregivers quit their jobs because they needed more time to provide care. Almost 15% couldn’t get enough time off of work to help their parents as much as needed.

The problem is that not everyone can afford to quit a job. If you need the income, you have to balance your mom’s care with your work, and one of them will suffer from the struggle with scheduling. Hire caregivers to help your mom when you’re at work.

What About Your Personal Life?

As a family caregiver to a parent with Alzheimer’s, have you put your personal life on hold? Many family carers do. They focus on their parent’s care needs, figuring they’ll resume their personal life when the battle is over years from now.

The problem is that Alzheimer’s can last upwards of 20 years. Your friends may not be as understanding and move on. That’s one of the reasons family caregivers find their social circle shrinks.

Make sure you’re leaving time to keep up with your social life. Leave a few nights a week where you meet up with your friends. Go out to dinner, see a movie, or head to a pub for a drink and conversation. A paid homecare aide can stay with your mom while you’re out.

Being a family caregiver is a caring act, but it can lead to burnout and excessive stress. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself. Hire homecare services to ensure you have the breaks you need to focus on self-care. Call a homecare expert to get started.

If you or an aging loved one are considering  Homecare in Indianapolis, IN, please call the caring staff at Home Services Unlimited. Serving the Greater Indianapolis Area. Call for Immediate Info & Assistance: (317) 471-0760.

Sources:

https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2021/05/caregiving-in-the-united-states-50-plus.doi.10.26419-2Fppi.00103.022.pdf

Etelka Froymovich, RN, MHA
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