7 Issues We Face While Taking Care of Aging Parents
Growing older is a part of life that everyone goes through. When people get older, they often find it harder to do things by themselves because they might not be as strong as they used to be. This is why taking care of aging parents is so important. Older parents might need help from their children with day-to-day things. It can include simple things like helping them around the house, going grocery shopping for them, or even just spending time with them and keeping them company.
For those looking for additional support and resources in taking care of aging parents, Emoha Elder Care Services offers a range of solutions. Contact us today!
Taking Care of Aging Parents
Caring for elderly parents can be tough, both for you and for them. They struggle with needing help for even small tasks and relying on their children.
When your parents can’t care for themselves, you need to handle new challenges, balancing their care with your own life. This includes emotional stress, making sure they’re comfortable, and financial concerns, like ensuring timely healthcare.
Below, we discuss common challenges in caring for elderly parents and ways to handle these situations effectively.
Common Challenges Faced while Caring for Aging Parents
1. Helping with Daily Tasks
Most elders like to take care of themselves and do not want to depend on others for help. However, this becomes difficult as people reach the age of 70 and above, or in cases where people are otherwise capable but suffer from health issues that make it difficult for them to remain independent. At some point, elderly parents need assistance with their daily tasks, like managing the house, dealing with their finances, shopping, meal preparation, etc. In many cases, it can impact their personal life, especially when they are living away from their parents.
2. Ensuring their Safety
Be it health or financial security, elderly people are more vulnerable and hence require assistance at every step. Being there with them all the time is not possible and most parents do not want to be sent to a retirement home, so children need to ensure that they are taking care of elderly parents at home whilst providing them with a safe and secure living environment. However, lack of communication and other life commitments are things that can sometimes lead to mishaps and mismanagement.
3. Dealing with Health Issues
As mentioned earlier, advancing age can affect an individual’s health. They may develop various health issues and chronic conditions that make them weak and vulnerable. This would call for regular monitoring, medication, and sometimes even emergency assistance. Obviously, working children with aging parents at home mostly face difficulties in being there for them all the time. Therefore, children need to ensure a viable healthcare support system for their parents.
4. Financial Stability
Elders above the age of 60 are often retired, unless they have taken up a part-time job. With retirement, elders lose their permanent source of income and have to rely on their savings or pension and frequently require support from their children. Due to degenerative illness, some elders even lose their capacity to manage financial affairs and become vulnerable to exploitation. With this, it becomes crucial for children to take care of their financial needs and help manage their funds as well. But lack of time among working children caring for elderly parents makes it difficult for them to effectively look after their parents’ financial affairs.
5. Quality of Living
Ensuring good quality of life is a crucial part of taking care of older parents. It’s not just healthcare either as elders require EMOTIONAL support, a social life, and everything else that goes into leading a contented life. However, working children or those who are living away from home face difficulties in doing so. Being away from home or being occupied with their own commitments, can lead to insufficient interaction with their parents, leaving the elders with no one to talk to. This loneliness, if prolonged, can cause depression and anxiety in elders.
6. Emergency Assistance
In addition to providing the right healthcare and ensuring quality living, caring for aging parents also requires being able to provide emergency assistance, especially when old parents have severe health issues or are bedridden. However, this becomes a challenge with working children if there is no one to look after the parents once they step out. The situation can get alarming when immediate assistance is needed.
7. Sacrifices at Work
There are situations where children have to sacrifice their work when caring for their aging parents. As discussed in some points above, it becomes difficult to manage work and take care of elderly parents at the same time. Today’s work commitments are such,that you have to travel a lot or stay away from home for long periods of time, which makes it difficult for them to be with their elderly parents. While some try to manage things in whichever way possible, others might have to look for jobs in their home state or choose less demanding jobs. In some cases, children may even need to quit their jobs for some time to take care of their parents.
Are You Taking Care of Older Parents?
Caring for older parents can sometimes be overwhelming because of the challenges that may come your way. However, here are some tips that can help you face those challenges and take care of old parents, ensuring there is no emotional or financial stress.
1. Understand Their Needs
Taking care of elderly parents can be quite difficult if you do not understand their needs and requirements. For starters, analyse their situation and think about what you can do to fulfil their needs, whilst managing your own personal and professional life. Below are the key areas that you can consider to best understand their needs:
● Their social interactions
● Their daily activities and core tasks
● Their health and medical needs
● The emotional and financial support they need
2. Assess Your Situation
No matter how much you want to be there with your old parents, it is sometimes difficult to do so with all your other responsibilities. So, before you make any assumptions about your situation and abilities and make any further commitments, it would be advisable to think about the following points:
● Does your job allow you to be there with them?
● Does your health allow you to take responsibility?
● What are the relationship dynamics between you and your parents?
● Are you willing to learn the best ways of taking care of your old parents?
3. Talk to Your Parents
Nothing is stopping you from talking to your parents even if you live in a different country. Take out some time from your schedule, maybe after work, and ask them about how they spend their time, how they feel about things, and seek their opinion on the same. It is essential that you make them feel important instead of just a dependent. Show your love and concern – interact and question.
● How was their day?
● Did they eat and sleep well?
● Are there any concerns they wish to raise?
4. Encourage Them for Social Gatherings
Depression because of loneliness is common among elders. You need to ensure that they do not feel lonely even when you are away. The same technology that makes it possible for you to call them anytime and anywhere can also give them the ability to connect with others. They can easily meet and greet their local friends and family members and call those living in a different region or country.
Here’s what you can do to improve your parents’ social connectedness:
● Introduce them to the world of internet
● Organise activities and events of their interest
● Help them join online and offline elderly communities
5. Consider Hiring Caregivers
If you think other things are not working for you and caring for your aging parents is still raising challenges, you can consider opting for elder support services that offer the assistance of trained and professional caregivers who can assist you in caring for your older parents. Since elders are mostly not familiar with the idea of caregiving services and may not like having a caregiver out of the family assisting them, you will have to make them understand its importance. Take the following things into account when doing so:
● Listen to their concerns
● Introduce the caregiver as their friend
● Give them time to get used to the idea
Taking care of aging parents is always on our minds, especially when we’re far away. We often worry about their well-being: Are they eating well? Are they safe? Do they face any issues? Providing the best care in their golden years is crucial, but with life’s changes and our busy schedules, it can be challenging.
When distance or other commitments prevent us from taking care of aging parents, professional caregivers are a lifesaver. They have the expertise to ensure elderly parents live better, more manageable lives.
EMOHA has developed a community dedicated to taking care of aging parents. We keep them connected with family, even from afar. Offering expert health, emergency, and social services, Emoha helps elders live fully and comfortably in their own homes.
