January 28th, 2016

What Not to Do in Your Home Care Journey with Your Aging Loved Ones

Home Care in Highland Park, IL
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When you first started your home care journey with your elderly loved ones, it is likely that you spent a considerable amount of time learning about all of the things that you should do as a family caregiver in order to give your parents the highest quality of care possible. Going through all of the things that you should do, however, can be overwhelming and make you feel as though you never have everything under control. Instead, looking at your care efforts in terms of what you should NOT do can help you to feel more confident organizing your care approach and coordinating with your seniors' in home health care services provider to ensure that they get the level of care that they need and deserve throughout their aging years.

Some of the things that you should not do in your home care journey with your aging loved ones include:

• Be hurtfully dishonest with your parents. Honesty is essential for all relationships, but it can be a sensitive topic when it comes to care for your senior parents. You should always make an effort to be honest with your seniors about their health, your care efforts, and the decisions that you make for them. If your seniors are dealing with cognitive limitations, particularly Alzheimer's or other dementia, however, you may find times when being completely honest may be hurtful, such as if they are not able to comprehend that their partner has died. Do not hide things from your parents in a way that could be hurtful, but also do not exaggerate honesty if it will cause your seniors more pain

• Force care on them. It is possible that you will notice things about your parents that make you feel concern for them and bring you to the decision to start a home care relationship for them. If this happens, however, do not suddenly start the care relationship without first talking with them about it. This can make them feel out of control and disrespected, which can have negative mental and emotional consequences, and can cause them to be resistant and even uncooperative

• Take control over their lives. Helping your aging loved ones maintain as much independence as possible should be an important focus of your care efforts, which means not stepping in and taking control over every aspect of their lives. No matter what the issues your seniors are facing, their thoughts, feelings, and opinions should always be considered when you are making a decision or planning their care. This means having conversations, asking questions, and sometimes being willing to compromise in a way that may make you uncomfortable but corresponds to their wishes regarding their care

• Overlook them. Being in a care relationship means that you spend a considerable amount of time thinking about your parents and caring for them. This does not mean, however, that you are not overlooking them in your care efforts. Do not forget that you are caring not just for random people, but your parents, and that you need to show your love, consideration, and respect in ways such as not spending all of your time on your phone, not making decisions without consulting them, and not forgetting to take your time to acknowledge and spend quality time with them during your care efforts.

If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Highland Park, IL, contact the caring staff at Gentle Home Services. Call today (800) 860-9823.

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