One of your most significant worries while preparing a home care schedule for your elderly parents is ensuring that your parents receive the best level of care they need. You want to ensure that your parents receive the best care even when you cannot provide it. Sometimes, you may worry that you are not in a position to give your parents the emotional, physical, and medical care that they need to have a quality life.
Distance and a busy schedule may hinder you from paying close attention to your elderly parents' needs. If this is the case, you can contact your local home caregivers and discuss how you can ensure your parents lead a comfortable life. A home care provider may become a crucial part of caring for your elderly parents, supplementing the care you and your family members provide. A home care provider may come for a couple of hours, depending on our parent's requirements.
One crucial point to consider when hiring home care services for your parents is that they are unique. Therefore, you should hire a home care provider who meets the uniqueness that is your parents. A home caregiver will cater to their specific needs and help them obtain their goals. If this is your case, it is vital to reach out to your local home caregivers and discuss ways to help your elderly parents have a quality life.
To make the transition easy, you can develop a daily schedule to ensure that your parents have a routine. This schedule will also help anyone assisting with your elderly parent's care know what to do at each time of the day. Suppose you are thinking of incorporating home caregiver services. In that case, it is essential to let them develop a customized care plan to ensure that your parents receive excellent care while maintaining their sense of independence. This means that you will have to consider the home caregiver plan when developing a daily schedule for your parents' care.
Tips for Creating a Home Care Schedule For Your Parents
You can use the following tips when creating a home care schedule for your parents.
Be Flexible
If you are drafting a homecare schedule for the first time, you may find that some of the things you have included may be unnecessary, or you will need to add something you had not initially considered. This is especially true if you are engaging the services of a home caregiver for the first time. Please consider your home caregiver suggestions as they may play a crucial role in ensuring that your parents lead a quality life.
After a couple of weeks, you must be willing to evaluate your schedule to gauge if it is working or not and make adjustments as the situation warrants.
Develop Your Schedule on Time
It is essential to develop a schedule before you contact a home caregiver. This will help you know the level of care your parents will require. Knowing how much care your parents need will help you understand how to deal with the situation. It will also help the home caregiver get an idea of the right person to send who we'll meet your expectations and give your parents the care they need.
Have A Contingency Plan In Place
When having someone take care of your parents, be it a family member or even a home caregiver, it is crucial to have a contingency plan. This plan comes in handy when. The person taking care of your parents has an emergency to attend to or falls sick. You should meet with several local home caregivers and find the ones you can use as a backup if the primary caregiver is unavailable. A continent plan ensures that your elderly parents always have someone taking care of their needs.
Consider Hiring a Home Caregiver To Cover NightShift
If your parents need someone to care for them at night, hiring someone who can cover a night shift is crucial. When you realize that your parents need someone to take care of them at night, you may be worried about how to assist them. Sometimes you may have your parents staying at your home, and since you have other obligations during the day, you will need to rest and relax at night. Hiring a professional caregiver who takes the night shift will give you much-needed peace of mind if this is your situation. You will sleep easy knowing that your parents are well cared for when you sleep.
Determine Your Elderly Parent's Home Care Needs
When it comes to caring for the elderly, several myths could impact your decision. You do not have to believe that your parents need several hours of care daily to qualify for a home caregiver. The best thing about home caregivers is that they are available 24/7 depending on your parents' needs. You can hire a home caregiver to come for a few hours daily or a couple of days a week. You must engage them to provide quality services depending on your parent's needs.
Importance of A Daily Routine
Sometimes life can be filled with uncertainties, especially for elderly parents who feel that their life is out of their control. Your parents may feel like life is spiraling out of control after losing their cognitive and physical functions. If this is your parents' situation, it is essential to start focusing on what they can control, which will empower them.
At other times you may wonder if a schedule is essential, especially if your parents can carry out their daily activities well. You should note that most older people find comfort in having a routine for each day. The first place to start is by creating a daily routine that considers your parents' specific needs.
You should note that a daily schedule is to help your parents carry out their day and focus on what is essential. A daily schedule is not something strict that they can not deviate from, but something that structures predictability and stability into their everyday living. When creating a daily plan, it is essential to have your parents' input before settling on its framework.
Creates A Sense of Self-independence
With a structured day, your parents will feel a sense of self-independence when they can perform several tasks. It is dressing, helping in meal preparation, or watering their flowers.
A Daily Schedule Lowers Stress and Anxiety
Creating a daily schedule will help your parents to have a routine. A routine offers a calming and relaxing effect to your parents, and this goes a long way in eliminating worries and the need to wonder what to do next. It also provides your elderly with the knowledge of who will be caring for them when you are not available. Your parents will have peace of mind knowing that they will have much- needle help and that everything is well cared for.
Create a Sense Of Safety and Security
Your parents will feel secure when they have a daily schedule. Having something predictable each day ensures that your parents have something to look out for every day when they take up. A routine makes your parents comfortable and will help them enjoy their golden years.
If your parents have cognitive difficulties, a routine will help immensely. The exact duties will help your parents feel safe, especially if they develop cognitive or mental issues like dementia.
Helps You And Your Parents To Sleep Well
When you introduce a daily routine to your parents' lives, you will help them sleep well at night. Recent studies show that a daily routine helps provide quality sleep and helps your parents sleep quickly and for longer.
Enjoy Quality Time With Family and Friends
When you create a schedule, it will give your parents a daily routine that will allow them to spend quality time with family and friends. You and your elderly parents can establish a way to incorporate time to spend with family and friends. When you create a daily schedule, include your parents' hobbies, pastime activities, family get-togethers, or even eating out at their favorite establishment.
A customized daily schedule and care plan will go a long way in making your parents' day and offering them the best care. It will also make it easy to care for their needs as you will know what to do at any time of the day.
Creating a Daily Schedule
Considering all parties involved, you can develop a draft of a daily schedule, which you can go through with your parents and the home-based caregiver. You can draft something that covers all aspects of your parents' daily activities like:
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Morning Schedule
When creating a morning schedule, you should consider this as the time when most seniors are very active. Since this is the time of the day when most seniors have enough energy, you should try to include several things you want them to accomplish. You can ensure that your parents start their day off with these activities:
Showering or Bathing
You should ensure that your parents shower two to three times a week to avoid having skin breakdown and infections. If your parents can't have a regular bath, you can ensure thorough wiring on their genitals, armpits, skinfold, and feet to avoid body odors.
Grooming
Good grooming is essential and should be observed daily. Good grooming provides some general hygiene practices which will boost your parents' self-confidence. These practices involve:
- Combing their hair
- Having a haircut
- Brushing their teeth
- Application of skin lotions and ointments
- Dressing
Breakfast
Your parents should never skip their breakfast. Ensure that you or your home caregiver prepares a nutritious breakfast. If your parents are in a position to make their breakfast, let them assist in the preparation, as this gives them a sense of independence.
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Afternoon Schedule
It would help if you made afternoons a time to relax and unwind for your parents—also, schedule doctor's appointments in the afternoon.
Lunch
Ensure you prepare a delicious meal that will consider your parents' dietary needs. Lunch doesn't have to be a serious affair, and you can prepare something like a salad, sandwiches or even fruits. After lunch, you can have your parents help with the cleaning and other light duties.
Complete Any Unfinished Task
Take afternoons as a time to complete any unfinished tasks for both your parents and the home caregiver. If your parents love crafts, you can include that craft in the afternoon segment.
Going Out
To ensure that your parents maintain their social lives, schedule their outings in the afternoon. If there is a community function, support your parents in any way possible. For instance, if they love charity work, you can help them bake for their favorite orphanage. You can also have their caregiver drive them to visit their friends or any function.
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Taking Part in Their Hobbies and Interests
Let your home caregiver assist with the activities that your parents enjoy. This is where a draft schedule becomes vital while hiring a home-based caregiver. The home-based provider will look into your parents' hobbies and interests and send someone who shares their love.
When you have someone who loves doing the things which interest your parents, they will have a mutually beneficial relationship that will play a critical role in your parents' well-being. Ensure that you include physical and mental activities that will help your parents boost their strength and cognitive abilities.
Napping
Let your parents have some relaxing time in the afternoons. You should note that it is imperative for your parents to relax, even if they feel energetic enough to continue their activities. If they do not agree to take a nap, you can have them rest on the couch and watch TV, a movie, read a book, or listen to music. If the weather is friendly, you can sit outside and relax for some time.
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Evening Schedule
Your parents should end their day having a pleasant dinner, complete pending tasks, and do something enjoyable. They will go to bed feeling a sense of accomplishment by doing this. Some of the evening's activities may include:
Dinner Preparations
Since dinner is the last meal of the day, you should make it light and nutritious. A heavy meal can lead to digestive problems and should be avoided. After dinner, your parents should spend two to three hours doing something enjoyable or reading before turning it in. This is to allow their body to digest the food they have taken. During this time, your parents can help with washing the dishes or watching their favorite TV show.
Have a Relaxing Conversation
After dinner, your parents can engage in a relaxing conversation. You can help create a perfect setup by ensuring they have their dessert at this time. A dessert can include cake, tea, or coffee. Engaging in pleasant conversation helps your parents minimize the risk of developing certain disorders like depression.
Bed Preparation
After relaxing, your parents should prepare for bed. If you have a home-based caregiver, they can help your parents bathe before bed, brush their teeth, and change their sleeping clothes. If your parents are not in a position to change their bed linen, a home caregiver should assist them.
Find a Reliable Home Caregiver Near Me
Establishing a daily routine can positively impact your parents, health, and quality of life. A routine doesn't have to be strict to be effective, and some flexibility will go a long way in impacting your parents. Searching for a home-based service in Los Angeles, CA., is crucial to research the best home caregivers. At Mom's Home Care, our team of professional caregivers will help you create a perfect schedule that will work best for your parents. Additionally, we will provide home care services uniquely customized to your needs. Kindly contact us at 323-244-4789 for information.