How to Successfully Introduce the Idea of Home Care to Your Senior Loved One
The freedom and independence of living on our own throughout adulthood is something many of us take for granted. That is, until we discover that independence may become compromised due to the normal progression of aging. This is a common situation with aging parents or grandparents.
Although remaining at home as we age is by far the top choice for older Americans, many seniors still hesitate at the idea of having a caregiver come into the privacy of their home to provide needed assistance. If your senior loved one offers up objections when the time comes to discuss in-home care, the following tips might help to pursuade them:
Introduce the senior to the caregiver before care begins to help establish a relationship so that the caregiver is not perceived as a stranger.
If the senior is afraid of having someone he or she doesn't know in the home, consider having a family member present for the first few visits.
Work with a home care agency that will match a caregiver who shares interests with the senior, like church or hobbies. This can make having a caregiver seem more like a friendship.
Make in-home care seem more attractive by laying out the alternatives for the senior, like having to move away from home, moving into an assisted living facility, etc.
Make it about you. Let the senior know that you know he or she is very independent, but having someone around will help you worry less.
Start small with a trial run. Have an in-home caregiver come in one day a week for a few hours just to tackle some light housekeeping or laundry and then build up to more care once the senior feels more comfortable.
It’s important to remember that bringing a caregiver into the home is a major decision, and it’s to be expected that such a decision may require more than one conversation before the idea is accepted. But when your senior loved one is ready to take the next step towards the enhanced quality of life that can be realized through partnering with a professional in-home care agency, AAging Better In-Home Care is here to help make the transition as smooth as possible. Call us at 866-464-2344 for more tips on transitioning to in-home care.
