As someone you love gets older, they may require more and more personal attention. As much as you might like to be able to help them yourself, or arrange another family member to take turns with, it’s a big responsibility. For this very reason, many families choose to hire an at-home caregiver.
If you’ve never looked into these kinds of services before, then it’s something that you should seriously consider. To help you better understand what kind of services an at-home caregiver would provide for your aging family member, here is a list some of the things you can expect.
Help With Grooming
As people get older, it’s more challenging to clean and groom themselves. At-home caregivers are there to help your loved one get clean and feel good about themselves. They are trained professionals experienced in assisting in daily routines like showers, teeth brushing, and even incontinence.
If you have a family of your own to look after, and job to go to every day, you may have enough trouble as it is finding time to clean and groom yourself. Paying someone else to take care of your family member ensures that you still have time for your life, yet your loved one’s needs are still being taken care of.
Transportation
Just because your loved one is in their older years doesn’t mean they won’t still have things to do! They may have doctors appointments to get to or shopping that they want to do. A caregiver can drive for them, so you don’t have to worry about them driving themselves.
After a certain age, driving may be more dangerous because of poor eyesight and slower reaction times. Although you may be there to help on occasion, it’s not likely that you’re able to take time off whenever they need to be driven somewhere.
Meal Prep
An at-home caregiver is able to provide food preparation services for your loved one according to their needs. The less that your family member has to worry about, the better.
Standing around for long periods of time in the kitchen can get very difficult past a certain age. Therefore, a caregiver is incredibly handy for making sure they get something nutritious to eat that doesn’t come prepackaged.
Cleaning Help
Cleaning requires a certain amount of agility and strength. It’s hard to be able to clean all of the nooks and crannies of a home which may require bending over or reaching past a certain length. It’s not uncommon for older people to suffer accidents from simple tasks like vacuuming or dusting.
With an at-home caregiver, you can rest assured that your loved one’s home stays clean and tidy without having to worry about them injuring themselves in the process.