Advice for Helping Your Elderly Parents

It can be hard to accept when your ageing parents need help. We are so used to our parents being the caregivers and looking after us, it can be difficult to switch these roles no matter how old you are. It can also be hard to know exactly how to help and how to navigate what can be a very sensitive situation. Do your parents need help with legal or financial issues such as getting their pension payments or are they considering senior citizens life insurance and are not sure what policy is best for them? Perhaps they need more hands-on help with everyday tasks such as food shopping or the upkeep of their house. Whatever it is that you think your parents need support with, you need to make sure you approach it in the right way.

Assess Their Needs

Firstly, assess the everyday needs of your parents and how well they are able to meet those needs themselves. Think about their personal safety, their medical needs, mobility, cognitive health, social interaction, and nutrition. How much support do they need in these key areas? How much support are they already getting? Do you need to step in?

For example, if you have a widowed father with diabetes and heart disease who does not know how to cook for himself. He will need help with medication management and meals in order to keep healthy. You could bulk cook and drop off a full week of dinners for him, so you know he is getting a healthy balanced meal. If you live far away, then you might consider hiring a caregiver or arranging for grocery or meal deliveries for him.

Assess Your Needs and Abilities

There are many reasons why you might not be able to take care of all your parents’ needs by yourself and you have your own life to manage as well. How easy is it for you to visit? Can you provide the type of care they need? It is not selfish to accept that you might not be the best person to support them at this time. You can do your bit by arranging different kinds of help instead of trying to do it all yourself and burning out.

Include Your Parent

Chances are that your parent is not too happy with the idea that they can no longer take care of themselves without help and they are probably worried about losing their independence. That is why it is so important to involve them in the process as much as possible. By asking them about their needs and showing them their options, it helps them to feel as though you are working with them rather than completely taking over.

Look at the Financial Situation

 Providing support for your elderly parent is going to cost money, there is no getting around it. So it is a good idea to estimate the costs in advance and prepare yourself. Think of their potential living situation and whether they can afford assisted living, the everyday costs such as food, and any other expenses that you may have to cover. Once you have an idea of the situation you can decide if you need additional financial help.