Challenges Of Caring For Elderly Parents

Ageing affects a person in various ways. The body becomes physically weaker; reactions slow down, bones and muscles lose their strength, vision weakens, organs become less efficient, leading to a decline in overall body strength. Brain deterioration is also a part of ageing, explaining why older adults often forget things or struggle to understand new concepts. Changes in sleeping patterns are common and can impact the physical and emotional well-being of elders, adding to the challenges of caring for elderly parents.

An older person may have been managing slowly with their diminishing physical and cognitive abilities. If there is a decline in these areas, they may face a loss of independence, instability in their social life, and an inability to manage things themselves, thereby becoming more dependent on others. This situation escalates the challenges of caring for elderly parents, putting pressure on you to adapt quickly and effectively.

These pressures include not only financial concerns or providing better healthcare but also offering emotional support. When health issues or cognitive decline occur, elderly parents can face depression, anxiety, or other mental health conditions, further complicating the challenges of caring for elderly parents. For more information on dealing with situations where elders experience anxiety and stress, check here.

Ageing Parents

Taking care of your elderly parents can be challenging, even emotionally. If you do not have enough time to play the role of caregiver, it can be more challenging. You may have to make some critical decisions about whether your parents will stay with you, or not, or about hiring a professional caregiver for them. Family dynamics can also change, increasing everyday stress.

The loss of dignity is a big part of the emotional issues that come with age. For those children who become caregivers, it can be incredibly challenging to keep an eye on changing circumstances, as they are still emotionally coming to terms with. Sometimes, to adapt to the opposite roles, there is never enough time, and it can be not easy.

Common Challenges Of Caring For Elderly Parents

Dealing With Daily Activities

As parents grow, it becomes difficult for them to deal with daily activities. They start facing difficulties even in activities of daily living and other instrumental activities, such as managing transportation, finances, shopping, home maintenance, and meal preparation. They need their younger ones to manage all these activities for them. At the same time, young adults also have to manage their personal life. Thus it becomes a challenging situation for them.

Medical & Health Issues

Taking care of medical and health issues of the elderly is another major challenge of caring for elderly parents. As parents grow, their body becomes weak, and their medical and health condition changes, in most cases, the situation only deteriorates. Elders who already have chronic disorders require proper support and attention from the children.

Safety Concerns

Elders safety is another challenge! It includes issues such as falls, financial security, etc. Managing their financial and legal matters is yet another challenge of caring for elders.

Self-Care

While caring for parents and managing their modern life, children often have to compromise with their own life. During this, they neglect their needs and well-being, which affects their health. Consequently, they develop chronic stress.

Managing The Changing Dynamics In Family

While caring for elders, children often face challenges with changing dynamics in the family. It is quite often to experience challenges with siblings and other family members while being a caregiver for your elderly parent. Thus managing these changing dynamics in the family becomes challenging.

How To Combat The Challenges Of Elderly Caring?

Being sensitive to their situation:

An elderly person who (gradually or otherwise) loses his or her sense of independence, can face challenges to deal with it. For a person who has been independent for many years, it isn’t easy to depend on another person. No amount of preparation can be enough to prevent this feeling. It can be emotionally disturbing. It is essential for the children to be sensitive as well as understanding the situation of their elderly parents.

Having an open dialogue:

Ask them how they are coping with the sudden change in their lifestyle. Tell them about how you are adapting and what you are arranging. Check if there is anything else they need or want that they are not able to do for themselves.

Helping them to remain financially independent:

Help them to take control of their finances as long as possible. This can give them reassurance and security. Give them access to your bank documents, passbook, debit/credit card if possible or at least share your plans with them; it will make them feel involved. Check if they have any financial need or concern, and talk to them about it.

Helping them adjust to their new environment:

If your parents’ living conditions have changed due to their health, help them get accustomed to their new surroundings. Consult them in planning and keep their priorities in mind. Being familiar with objects (furniture, photographs, etc.) in their living space can help them to adjust and feel more at home.

Understanding their needs:

Understanding the changing needs of your elderly is essential. You may have to choose from verbal and non-verbal clues for this. For example, in the later stages of dementia, a person may not want to brush their teeth twice a day; and usually not brushing does not make much difference in general well being. However, if the caregiver insists on brushing twice a day when they do not want to, it can lead to anxiety and quarrels.

Create a safe environment:

Often, children will take care of their parents the way they would care for their children. But there is a significant difference between caring for children and caring for the elderly. We expect children to grow up, acquire skills and be independent in the future. On the other hand, elders may be weaker; they forget earlier skills and are less able to take care of themselves as time passes. Creating a safe environment means acknowledging their potential and not motivating them to do something they are not comfortable with. It also means setting up systems in which they receive adequate support in tasks that they are not capable of handling.

Make sure they can maintain their level of dignity:

Involve them in deciding the issues to be done with the family. If they were involved in such activities, as say, planning a family budget, help them to do so as long as they can. It gives them a sense of purpose and respect.

Consult decisions that affect them:

When planning medical care, check their preferences. If you are consulting with a new physician, ask them how they feel about them. Like do they feel comfortable? Do they have any concerns?

Spend quality time with them:

Taking care often comes with time, finances and energy restrictions. If you can afford to hire a professional caregiver to look after the day-to-day needs, then you can easily manage your hectic schedule and can give enough time to yourself.

Help them have conversations:

Making social connections can help the elderly deal with their illness and debility. Find out what you can do to make it accessible – if possible, with family and friends, or by visiting a neighbourhood park. It can reduce the feeling of loneliness.

How to take care of old parents?

Have you started seeing changes in your parents’ rituals? Mother or father is not able to maintain themselves in the way they used to quickly? You have noticed that your father’s desk is full or your mother is not paying attention to her living and decoration. If so, then your care is required.

Serving elderly parents is not an easy task, but here are some steps that will help you to make this difficult task more manageable. This is how to take care of them-

Talk To Them

Elders get emotional with growing age, thereby sitting beside them stands imperative. If this won’t happen, they develop the art of thinking and perceiving everything in a negative manner. They might think about a lot of things, which would be depressing in turn. Further, to know about how to detect, prevent, and treat such problems, do check here.

Accompany Them To The Doctor

Whenever elders go to the doctor, make sure to accompany them. It will be a matter of comfort for them, and it will also assure them that they’re not alone. Apart from this, you will also get to know about their treatment plan and medications.

Prepare A Schedule For Them

You can prepare a schedule for the elderly, including their appointments or other work so that they can be completed on time.

Give Them Space

Taking care does not mean that you always ride on them. Let them spend time in private too. Give them a private room so that they can spend their time with certain people or friends. Help them when they need you.

Hire a caregiver

Hiring a professional caregiver will give you comfort, as well as taking care of your parents will become easier. The professionals don’t only take care of their health but also ensure the overall well-being of the elderly.

Are you also facing Challenges Of Caring For Elderly Parents? If yes, availing professional nursing of caregiving service for your elderly would be most reliable. The caregivers are rigorously trained with modern approaches. They understand the elders more than anyone and know the advanced ways to deal with them.

Ease The Challenges Of Eldercare With Professional Caregiving For Seniors India’s population has evolved in the last few years, and the percentage of senior citizens has increased. Today, about 8.6 per cent of the total population is senior citizens. The way the population of senior citizens has increased is remarkable. Similarly, it is also important to understand that with growing age, elders face many issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, cancer, etc.

Senior citizens who once cared for us now require constant care and health management. Also, our family structures have changed a lot today. People do not have time to take care of the sick elderly at home due to a runaway life. With all these aspects, professional caregiving has emerged as the most reliable option for eldercare.

We have already discussed several challenges that people face while caring for their elder parents. As per the experts, the best way to ease the challenges of eldercare is to hire a professional caregiver for your lovely elders.

Benefits of Professional Caregiving For Elders

When we say that professional home care services are best for dealing with the challenges of caring for elderly parents, we say it due to the many benefits that professional caregiving offers. The key benefits of professional care services for elders are:

• With skilled caregivers, elders or their younger ones don’t have to struggle with the medicines or prescriptions. The professionals do it all for the elders and provide them with timely medication.
• With the growing age, the nutritional needs of elders change. For healthy ageing, it is essential to provide elders with a diet full of nutrition. The professional caregivers are well-trained about elderly nutrition and provide them with nutrient-rich meals.
• With professional health carers, elders get better healthcare within the comfort of their own home.
• With home-based caregiving services, elders get a secured and assisted life. Elders find it difficult to perform their daily activities, and they don’t feel comfortable sharing it with other, but professional elder carers know all the methods to make them comfortable.

Read More: 7 Issues We Face While Taking Care of Aging Parents

Conclusion

Professional caregiving can significantly ease the challenges of caring for elderly parents for both you and your elderly loved ones. Choosing the right elder care services, like those offered at Emoha, is crucial in addressing these challenges of caring for elderly parents.

At Emoha, our goal is to tackle all the difficult issues faced by elders and their families. With many satisfied clients and their blessings, we are dedicated to serving the elderly community with open arms. To learn more about our services and how we can help, get in touch with us at eldersfirst@emoha.com or call us at 1800-123-445555.