When your senior’s life and situation first start changing, you might not be sure that she really does need help. There are some things you need to do in order to make sure you’re able to meet her needs.
Asking Is Preferable, but not Always Possible
Ideally, you’d be able to simply ask your elderly family member what help she needs or what you can do for her. The problem is that isn’t always possible for a variety of reasons. Your senior might be sensitive or embarrassed about this conversation, making it a lot more difficult to have.
Visit and Take Some Notes
That can mean that you need to be a little more surreptitious about how you get your information. When you visit your senior, mentally take some notes. Pay attention to what seems to be going well for your senior but look for changes that don’t make sense. As her abilities and her needs change, that begins to become outwardly obvious.
But Don’t Criticize or Make it Look Like You’re Snooping
The last thing you want, though, is for your senior to feel like you’re snooping or criticizing her. That’s something that doesn’t feel great for her and honestly it doesn’t feel so great for you, either. What you notice around her home and her person that is obvious is something that you should talk with her about, but in a loving and non-confrontational way.
Assess What You’re Finding
Gather up all the information you’re learning in one place, like a blank sheet of paper where you write everything down. This is going to give you the opportunity to piece together everything that your senior needs and what you can do about it. Some of this might still feel overwhelming to you, especially if you’ve been sure your elderly family member is still doing fine.
Investigate Your Options
You might have more options for helping your senior than you think. Talk with her doctor, if you’re able to do so, and get an idea what your senior is looking at in terms of health issues in the near future. Hiring elder care providers is often a much more helpful option than many caregivers and their aging family members believe at first. They can help with a variety of different issues your senior is having and they can do so quickly and without disrupting her life.
There are a lot of different ways that you can determine if and how much help your elderly family member really needs. This is a process you’ll go through more than once, too. You’re going to need to continually reassess your senior’s needs to make sure you’re meeting them.
If you or an aging loved one needs Elder Care in Sacramento, CA, remember Senior Home Care Services. Call us at (916) 514-7006 for more information.
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