Is Home Care the Right Choice for Your Aging Loved One?

Home-Care-in-Bridgehampton-NY

Home Care in Bridgehampton NY: Is Home Care the Right Choice for Your Aging Loved One?

If you are reading this, you are probably wondering if it is time to hire a home care aide for your aging loved one. Maybe they are having difficulty living alone, or maybe it is getting too difficult to care for them in your home by yourself.

Either way, you might be hesitant to hire home care, because you are not sure how your aging loved one will feel about it, or because you think it might be too expensive. This decision is a tough one, but it can be made if you break it down into smaller pieces. You can start by asking yourself the following questions, to see if home care is the right step for your aging loved one.

1.      Is my loved one forgetting to take their medications?
Home care aides cannot administer medication themselves, but a part of their job is reminding your senior to take any medications they need on time. If your loved one has been forgetting to take their medications often, or taking them too many times because they don’t remember taking them the first time, this could be a sign that they need help managing their day-to-day life.

2.      Does my loved one have trouble doing simple tasks?
Many seniors with illnesses, dementia, or mobility problems have trouble doing daily tasks, such as getting dressed or using the bathroom. If your loved one finds it difficult to do these things, they might need some help.

3.      Does my loved one need more help than I can provide?
Maybe your aging loved one has been having the above problems for a while, and you have been helping to handle them. Maybe these problems are getting more severe, though, and you feel that maybe you aren’t qualified to do all of the things your senior needs help doing. This is a common problem, and you are certainly not alone. It is okay to ask for help, and home care aides are hired specifically for this purpose.

4.      Would hiring help make our home life more comfortable for everyone involved?
If you have been the family caregiver for years, you might have noticed that you don’t have much time for a life outside of the caring you provide for your aging parent or loved one. You might have noticed that you are constantly stressed, and that you are experiencing a lot of tension between your other family members as well. Caregiving is tough, but you might find that with a little help, everything will go much more smoothly, and you will have more time to spend with your loved one and the rest of your family in a calmer, less stressful environment.

If you answered yes to several of these questions, home care could be the right decision for you and your family. Discuss it with the other people in your life, and do your research to find out how to get the process started.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional home care in Bridgehampton, NY, call the caring staff at Artful Home Care today at 631-685-5001.

Beth McNeill-Muhs