How to Make Sure Your Elderly Family Members Have What They Need

Elderly family members are at a unique time in life. While they have been independent adults their entire life, your parents or grandparents may be facing mental and physical deterioration. This is challenging. COVID-19 has only complicated our relationship with the elderly, but you can still figure out what they need through consistent effort.

Stay in Contact

Just like you would reach out to an old friend, contact your elderly relatives often. Consistent communication can help you learn what they need, and can make them feel more comfortable reaching out to you. If they live close to you, keep them informed on what you and your children are up to.

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to reach out to the elderly because of technology. According to Alegre Home Care, the best ways may differ, depending on situations, but the important thing is that you are present. FaceTime or Zoom have become useful tools for communicating with each other. If you do this every day, you won’t regret it. Not only is it good for your relative’s health, but you will feel satisfied and grateful you talked with them if their health were to decline.

Monitor Their Independence

If you are around your relatives more, you can also monitor what they are able to do by themselves. Elderly people like their independence, but some simple tasks take up too much energy. You should ask if they have had any difficulty cleaning or getting around their home.

Mental decline can also affect independence. Elderly people may forget to do simple things that can put their life at risk, such as turning the oven off. According to The Moments, it is often best to leave long-term care of dementia patients to professionals. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t be involved in their care. People often do best with a combination of professional care and family support.

Set Up Assistance

When all is said and done, you want to be able to take care of your aging relatives. Set them up with assistance depending on their needs. If you worry about their physical ability, there are different gadgets that can help them around the house. You can also hire a maid or caretaker for them at home.

If necessary, you should reach out to a retirement home. Your relatives may be reluctant to the idea, but they may find it fun once they get used to the environment. They will be well taken care of and monitored for health, so they don’t have to worry about it themselves.

Take care of your family members anyway that you can. Don’t forget about them, and figure out what help they need. This time of life can be scary, and they need as much familial support as possible. Don’t forget to visit them!