When you first suggest hiring a caregiver, your elderly family member might not think that’s necessary at all. In fact, one of the questions she might ask you is just what they can do for her anyway. It helps if you have an answer ready to go for her.
Preserve Independence and Offer Help
This might sound contradictory, but it truly isn’t. Your senior may only need small amounts of help occasionally in order to keep living her life on her own terms. That assistance doesn’t detract from her independence at all and can help her to become even more independent than she has been.
Ensure She’s Eating Healthful Meals
Healthy meals give your senior’s body the nutrients that she needs in order to stay healthy and to have the energy that she needs to do all the things she wants to do. Having a caregiver available can make things like grocery shopping, cooking, and even eating so much easier for your elderly family member. This can help you to feel better in general about your senior continuing to age in place, especially if she’s been prone to not eating well in the past.
Assist with Transportation
If your senior is having trouble driving, it’s a good idea to have “the talk” about finding alternative transportation. One of the easiest answers is to let a caregiver do the driving for your elderly family member. This is especially helpful if the caregiver is already there with her during the day and can help at a moment’s notice.
Offer Companionship
Caregivers are excellent companions. They’re accustomed to talking to and being around older adults. They can even offer silent companionship if your senior isn’t much for talking. Just having someone else there with her can help to alleviate loneliness for your senior.
A Caregiver Helps with Lots of Other Tasks
There are so many other ways that a caregiver can help your senior, especially as her needs and her health change. She may start to need more help than she’s needed in the past, and caregivers can ramp up their assistance to meet those needs. This is something that happens seamlessly for your elderly family member and for you.
If your elderly family member is still uncertain about this idea, talk to her about giving some time with a caregiver a trial run. She may just find that there’s more that they can do for her than she thinks.