Three Tips For Caring For An Elderly Loved One

Health & Medical Blog

If you have an elderly loved one, you will want to make sure that you are taking steps to ensure their health and safety. Unfortunately, there are many people that will simply be unaware of the types of care that their elderly loved one will require.

Reduce Tripping and Slipping Hazards Around the House

One of the first steps that you should take for your loved one is to ensure that any slipping or tripping hazards are addressed. If an elderly person falls to the ground, it can be much easier for them to break bones or suffer other serious injuries. In fact, it could be possible for these individuals to be unable to get up due to their injuries. Mitigating these threats may require some structural changes and upgrades to the house. For example, it may be wise to replace steps with disability access ramps. Additionally, handles or a walk-in bath should be installed to minimize the risk of your loved one falling while bathing.

Care for Your Loved One's Mental and Emotional Needs

It can be easy to focus much of your attention on the physical safety and medical needs of the elderly loved one. However, it is also important to make sure that you are meeting the emotional and mental needs of your loved one. This can be tricky due to the fact that they may struggle to be able to leave the house. For this reason, you may want to set up a hobby or study area where the elderly individual can pursue personal interests. Without this type of outlet, the patient may be more prone to developing depression or other emotional issues that could drastically lower their quality of life.

Utilize Home Care Services

Unfortunately, there are many tasks that your loved one may simply be unable to do for themselves. While you will likely make a great effort to personally see to these needs, there can be instances where you are simply unable to personally meet these needs. This can be particularly true for patients that are experiencing difficulties with performing basic tasks, such as bathing and meal preparation. In these instances, the services of a home care provider, like those at Polish Helping Hands, can prove to be invaluable. These professionals will be able to regularly visit your loved one so that they can have these basic needs met. If you are worried about the costs that are involved with this type of care, many health insurance policies will provide coverage for these services for elderly or otherwise infirm individuals.

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25 March 2018

Take Your Health Into Your Own Hands

My name is Katie Langer. For a long time, I was bed ridden and I felt like I had no control over my life. I simply went along with what was instructed by my doctor and I didn't ask questions. It wasn't that my doctor wasn't willing to work with me, but I preferred to simply not think about the illness I was suffering from. I didn't realize that some of the symptoms I was suffering from were side effects of my medication and were not normal. After communicating more with my doctor, I was able to alleviate my symptoms. Since then, I've taken an interest in patient-doctor relationships and how to improve them.