Caring for a senior parent who is living at home is something that millions of people are struggling with. But home care assistance can make it easier to keep your parent safe and healthy and juggle work, caring for your kids, and all of your other responsibilities. Home care assistance is a great way to make caring for a senior parent easier.
Home care assistance is customized to your parent’s individual needs. If your parent is struggling to keep up their home because they have a chronic illness, a home care provider can help them with housework, preparing meals, and other tasks.
Home care providers can also take over things like grocery shopping and making sure your parent gets to their medical appointments. Home care assistance takes away the stress of trying to maintain your own household and your parent’s.
What Home Care Assistance Includes
A home care provider doesn’t provide medical care. But they can help your parent with a wide range of household tasks and help ensure their home is a safe environment. They also provide consistent socialization and company for your parent.
Some of the things that are included in home care assistance are:
Transportation to Medical Appointments
Getting your parent to a medical appointment on time can be very difficult if you have to take time off work to do it. Home care assistance can include transportation to medical appointments. A home care provider can pick up your parent, take them to their appointment, and bring them home afterward.
A home care assistance provider can also stay with them during the appointment. This can be reassuring if your parent is uncomfortable going to appointments alone or needs some extra support getting around.
Grocery Shopping and Errands
Running errands can take a lot of energy for an older adult, particularly if your parent has mobility challenges or a chronic health condition.
A home care provider can take care of routine errands, including grocery shopping and picking up prescriptions or household necessities. Your parent can provide a shopping list, and their provider can make sure they have the items they need at home.
Having someone available to handle errands can also be a big help if you live far away or can’t regularly shop for your parent.
Light Housekeeping
Maintaining a home requires constant work. Tasks that once took your parent just a few minutes may become much more difficult as they get older.
Home care assistance often includes light housekeeping. A provider can wash dishes, wipe down counters, take out the trash, make the bed, straighten commonly used rooms, and handle other basic household tasks.
Laundry and Changing Linens
Laundry can be difficult for an older adult with limited mobility, arthritis, poor balance, or other health challenges. Carrying a heavy laundry basket can be especially challenging and may increase your parent’s risk of falling.
A home care assistance provider can help wash, dry, fold, and put away your parent’s laundry. They may also change bed linens and make the bed.
Regular assistance with these tasks means your parent always has clean clothing, towels, and bedding without struggling to manage the laundry themselves.
Making Meals and Snacks
Preparing meals can become difficult if your parent has trouble standing for long periods, using kitchen tools, or safely operating appliances. Your parent may start skipping meals or choosing whatever requires the least preparation.
A home care assistance provider can prepare meals and snacks based on your parent’s preferences and care plan. They can also prepare foods ahead of time so your parent has convenient options available later.
Help With Daily Activities
Home care assistance can also include help with many of the personal tasks your parent performs every day.
Depending on the type of care your parent receives, a home care assistance provider may help with activities such as bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and safely moving from one location to another within the home.
If you or someone you know needs Home Care Assistance in Mankato, MN, contact Adara Home Health. We provide quality and affordable home care services for many fragile or senior members in the communities we serve. Call us at (888) 525-7742 for more information.