How to Care for a Loved One in The Comfort Of Their Home.

If you are caring for an elderly loved one, it may be time to start considering their social needs. As your loved one enters the later stages of life, they need more companionship than ever before. This is especially true if they are living at home alone. It can be difficult to find ways to provide that much-needed companionship in a way that doesn't involve too much effort on your part.

Read this blog post for some creative ideas on how to give them the company they need!

As people grow old they tend to lose friends, unfortunately. This can make socialising more difficult for elderly people, as they may find it hard to make new friends. If your elderly loved one is living alone at their house and you want to help them out with a companion, consider some of the following ideas:

- A video chat through Skype or FaceTime can be an excellent way to provide companionship. The good thing is that they get to see you on camera and you get to see them too.

The downside though is that if they are elderly and need help with technology, this can be difficult. They also might need physical assistance in the home which requires someone to go there and do it for them.

- Meals can get challenging due to lack of appetite or they simply forget when to take them. Having someone to pop in during the scheduled meal times can be a great thing.

This gives the relative reassurance that their loved one has had a meal.

- Medication is another issue that elderly people face. Sometimes they forget to take their medicine and this can be dangerous, especially if it's a heart medication or blood pressure meds or if they have to make regular observations.

Having someone pop in during the morning hours ensures that they have taken one of their pills for the day. If there are multiple doses then you can schedule for that too.

Personal hygiene is an important aspect especially if they tend to get continent. Having a carer visit once or twice a day to ensure they're clean and warm can make all the difference.

-Old age can come with blindness (partial or full blindness). This can make the life of that person difficult and challenging. The fact that it comes on gradually means the family can arrange home care services in time starting with a few hours and increasing it gradually. This means that the one receiving care has time to adjust to the new way of living while the carer gets to know them beforehand and build rapport.

-Local day centres are great for the elderly to socialise. Signing them up to a local centre is another great way of getting them out of the house. Unfortunately, some are not able to get themselves ready to go out or require assistance upon their return from the centre.

Having someone come in to assist them before going out or upon coming back can make all the difference while giving them reassurance and safety.

-Someone who has Alzheimer's disease can get agitated and difficult to deal with. The best way to address this is having a carer that they know and trust to be there, even if the elderly person might not recognise them all the time it will help calm them down.

If your loved one needs care at home to stay independent, contact us today. Our experienced team of carers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for in-home support. We can provide assistance with tasks like bathing or feeding that would otherwise take up much needed time from you and the rest of your family. Contact our office today if this sounds like something you could benefit from!

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