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How Caregivers Support Seniors

Dr. Haleema Azhar

04-09-2024

 How Caregivers Support Seniors Through Changes in Health or Lifestyle

It is often observed that our elders revert to a child-like state as they get on in their years. Most of the elders suffer from chronic illnesses and usually require help with the activities of daily life. While many family members endeavor to support their beloved seniors to get on with their lives as before, it is often not how professional caregivers support seniors. Family caregivers usually struggle to balance their employment and familial errands with taking care of their beloved seniors. This struggle can often become overwhelming. Personalized home health care services like ASR Home Care help the family members take care of their seniors in a pre-loved and safe environment surrounded by their loved ones. 

How caregivers support seniors by ensuring their needs are well met while also harboring a sense of autonomy and dignity in them. Most of our beloved elders are used to getting their work done by themselves all their lives. Ensuring that their self-esteem and dignity are well maintained while also assisting them in daily tasks is how caregivers support seniors. How caregivers support seniors doesn't only mean assisting them with their requirements but also engaging them in stimulating activities to keep their minds fresh and healthy. Most older adults living alone suffer from loneliness so how caregivers support seniors depends on the specific needs of the elderly patient.
 

 

Activities of daily life
 

Most of our senior adults have lived quite an independent life but usually after a lifelong battle with a chronic disease, loss of friends and family or just aging, they might need help with performing the usual tasks of everyday life that they could manage well before. But their sense of dignity and autonomy remains intact. Involving elderly patients in decisions regarding their everyday lives so their sense of autonomy and independence prevails is how caregivers support seniors. Assisting with mobility, personal grooming, bathing, using a bathroom, and planning day-to-day activities is how caregivers support seniors to enhance their quality of life. How caregivers support seniors is also by helping them with their finances, budgeting, and paying bills thus inevitably keeping them safe from various scams. 

 

Changes in lifestyle
 

How caregivers support seniors doesn't only mean assisting with necessary tasks but also elevating their quality of life. Exercise, puzzles, chess, walks in the park, or learning new skills are some of the ways how caregivers support seniors. Exercise can keep the mind and the body healthy. A walk among nature always reduces anxiety and stress and makes a person more open to accepting help and support. Patients suffering from dementia, Alzheimer's disease, or other conditions that may affect their memory can benefit from crossword puzzles or other engaging games that keep them focused and enhance their cognitive health. 

How caregivers support seniors is also by providing them with nutritious meals and a proper diet plan. Home-cooked meals rich in protein and nutrients that are needed in old age are one of the best ways to boost one’s health. How caregivers support seniors by making sure they are not only taking their medicines on time but also getting a proper diet.

 

Transportation

Scheduling appointments with their physicians, providing effective communication between the primary physician, patient, and family members, and providing transportation to those appointments is how caregivers support seniors. Making sure the elderly patients get proper health care and medicines is how caregivers support seniors. This eliminates the need for unnecessary trips to the hospital. How caregivers support seniors does not just involve taking them to planned hospital appointments but also any family or friend events that they need to go to. Usually, in old age, there is failing eyesight and lack of coordination which makes driving difficult. How caregivers support seniors through transportation ensures that they do not remain cooped up in their homes, hidden away from the world. But rather remain an active member of it. 

 

Companionship 

Loneliness is one of the surest ways that declines the health of elderly patients, living alone. Human beings are interactive species. They require a sense of community and connection to function effectively. How caregivers support seniors by providing stimulating conversation that engages their minds, walks through the park together, participating in board games, or someone to discuss the daily events with. This companionship keeps them happy and healthy which is how caregivers support seniors. 

 

ASR Home Care specializes in skilled and highly trained staff that help seniors navigate transitions in their lives. They provide not only medical support but also physical, emotional, mental, and social support. This holistic approach is how caregivers support seniors and ensure they remain fit and healthy!