Home Care Tips: Caring For Elderly Family Members

When you are providing home care for your elderly loved one, whether it is in your home or theirs, it is important to make a few small changes around the home to better improve the security and comfort level for your loved one who is receiving the home care. These changes will not cost you a penny, but they will certainly increase the overall health and well-being of your elderly family member who is receiving the home care.

1. Buy your loved one’s clothes in solid, basic colors.
   That’s an easy home care tip to remember. Doing so will help preserve their dignity by allowing them the opportunity to easily pick an outfit to wear each day—on their own. It will also make your job as the one offering home care a whole lot easier too.
2. Keep clothes organized to make it easy for for them to find.
   For example, hang all the bottoms on one side of the closet, and hang the tops on the other. If anyone else, besides you, ever needs to come to the house to provide home care services, your loved one’s clothing will be easy for them to find too.
3. Take down the mirrors in your home.
   This is a vital home care tip that is often overlooked. Older individuals often do not recognize their own reflection when looking in a mirror. This can get quite scary and confusing for them. If you prefer to keep the mirrors up, opt for smaller ones and hang them high enough to where your loved one who is receiving the home care does not see them.
4. Provide space and independence.
   Seniors enjoy their independence and want to keep it for as long as they possibly can. Even though you are the one providing the home care for your relative, it is important that you let them make their own choices. Nevertheless, make sure that they don’t have so many choices to make that they become confused or overwhelmed by them.

It is your duty as a caregiver to ensure your relative’s home care needs are met. On the other hand, it is also important that you give your senior loved one the opportunity to maintain their dignity by allowing them to do some things on their own. Of course there are plenty of other tips to follow when it comes to home care, but starting off with these will no doubt make life easier for you and your elderly family member.