(888) 559-3889
Hiring in-home care for an aging loved one may indicate to families that their caregiving tasks are over. After all, a professional is monitoring the senior and providing direct care. However, visiting the elderly individual is still important not only for the senior but for the entire family.
1. Show support
A senior who has recently begun home care must adjust to the new caregiver as well as new schedules for exercise or meals that the professional has planned. As the aging adult adapts, visits from familiar faces, like children or grandchildren, have a positive impact.
Visits from loved ones give the senior the feeling that she is cared for, and this is despite being well-looked after by the professional caregiver. Being showered with care boosts feelings of happiness and emotional well-being in the older adult.
Elderly care recipients who receive home care are fully supported by professional caregivers. However, these seniors also know they have additional support from family members, especially those who visit. Even brief visits to the senior’s home show her that she is still valued.
2. Participate in their lives
Seniors who receive home care may follow a full schedule. The professional caregiver may plan outings, exercise sessions, or recreational activities at home. Family members who visit their elderly loved ones regularly are encouraged to participate in order to learn what they enjoy.
Relatives might join their elderly loved one in a game of cards or relish a dinner together. With each visit, the relatives have an opportunity to build stronger relationships with the senior. New memories are created as they share even simple life events with the senior they love.
3. Improve emotional health
Older adults are at risk of being isolated. Homebound individuals with limited opportunities to leave the home are especially vulnerable. Companion care from professional caregivers eases the isolation and loneliness. However, visits from close friends and family members offer additional benefits.
Depression is a likely outcome of feeling lonely and isolated. Relatives who visit the senior regularly combat these unwanted feelings and allow the aging individual to feel loved and worthwhile. Family members who visit often affirm the senior’s sense of worth and help her maintain a positive outlook.
4. Increase self-esteem
As seniors’ physical and cognitive abilities decline with time, they may experience a loss of self-esteem. They may feel embarrassed or frustrated when everyday tasks, from bathing to dressing and cooking, become major hurdles. But visits from loved ones help seniors feel confident in themselves.
In fact, relatives who pay frequent visits to their aging family members give them the feeling that they can still contribute. Young grandchildren may listen to stories told by their grandparents, who have an opportunity to teach and instill important values.
5. Deliver purpose
The daily schedules of seniors may be robust but drab, being filled with activities, meals, doctors’ appointments, and bedtime routines. When visits from loved ones are expected, however, the senior is more likely to wake up in the morning with excitement and anticipation of the event.
It’s important for seniors to have purposeful lives, and regular visits from loved ones provide meaning. Older adults experience greater fulfillment when they connect with those whom they hold near and dear. Spending quality time with family members reminds them that life is worthwhile.
6. Provide accountability
Falling into an unhealthy pattern of self-neglect can be easy when seniors are left alone at home. Relatives who visit often serve as accountability partners by ensuring that older adults take care of themselves. Socializing with them encourages seniors to prioritize their personal health.
Conversely, family members who visit aging loved ones have the chance to monitor their emotional, physical, and mental health. Relatives can discuss mobility issues, overall health, and responses to medications. Plus, adult children see firsthand how their aging parents are faring.
In-person visits give concerned relatives an opportunity to check the fridge to ensure the senior is eating healthy foods or see how well she is practicing self-care. Evaluating an elderly loved one’s well-being can be done more accurately through frequent visits to the home.
7. Prevent elder abuse
Seniors can fall victim to elder scams. Visiting an aging relative on an ongoing basis gives the family a chance to make sure the senior has not become a victim of health care fraud, like when the senior is billed twice for the same service, or financial exploitation, like mismanaging assets.
Elder abuse is another concern that relatives can only determine by visiting regularly. Families can ensure their aging loved one is not being mistreated, abused, or neglected in any way. Look for unexplained bruises, weight loss, unwashed hair, dirty clothes, or withdrawal from favorite pursuits.
Regular visits from family members give elderly loved ones events to look forward to. Adult children, grandchildren, and other relatives are important parts of their lives. Professional caregivers from Assisting Hands Home Care are also essential to the well-being of seniors.
As a reputable home care agency serving countless satisfied families, Assisting Hands Home Care is an invaluable resource for seniors. We provide in-home non-medical elder care to support seniors with the activities of daily living, such as meal preparation, light housekeeping, and transportation.
Companion caregivers serve as meaningful social outlets for aging care recipients. We hold pleasant conversations with them, play card games, join them in hobbies, or take them on safe outings in efforts to stimulate their minds and enhance their quality of life.
Professional caregivers are available on a flexible basis. We meet the needs of families who seek home care on a short- or long-term basis. Respite care, dementia care, post-surgical care, hospice care, 24-hour care, live-in care, and companion care are available options.
Senior care from Assisting Hands Home Care complements the care you provide your elderly loved one. We communicate regularly with families to provide updates on the senior’s health and well-being. When you seek compassionate home care in Glen Ellyn, IL | Plainfield, IL | Warrenville, IL | Naperville, IL | Westmont, IL | Woodridge, IL | Lisle, IL | Wheaton, IL , schedule an in-home consult with us.
