It’s not the most pleasant of transitions. Noticing that child-parent roles have been reversed can be unsettling but instead of being loving and nurturing parents, Mom and Dad are now needing assistance with daily living as they experience declining health and mobility due to aging.

How do you adapt to the changing needs of your elderly parents while managing a household and juggling work? With some advance planning and having a game plan in place, you and your family will be positioned to help your parents age in the familiar surroundings of home.

1. Have a Family Meeting

The best place to start is having a family meeting. A strategy session where everyone speaks openly and honestly about your parent’s care needs can be a difficult discussion, but it will help you and your family members put together a plan that will best meet your elderly parents’ needs.

Topics to cover can include:

  • What resources can each family member provide for your elderly parents’ care?
  • How much care will mom and dad need on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis? For example, has one of them had a recent surgery or suffered a stroke that has placed a caretaking burden upon their partner?
  • Do they have any medical diagnoses, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s, that impair their decision-making processes and safety?
  • Can your aging parents continue to function at home?
  • Who will handle their financial and legal affairs, and do they need a Power of Attorney moving forward?
  • What is your parent’s current financial status?
  • Which of the family members will serve as caregivers?

This last question is perhaps the most crucial. Family members should consider sharing caregiving responsibilities to prevent anyone from becoming overly tired, physically and/or emotionally. A team caregiving effort will work best for everyone.

2. Helping With Your Parent’s Daily Needs

As much as your parents want to remain independent and enjoy as much freedom as they can, they’ll need more help as time passes. Their needs may include:

  • Light housework & laundry
  • Cooking meals & helping with eating
  • Shopping, running errands & doctor’s appointments
  • Bathing, dressing & using the toilet
  • Medication reminders
  • Exercise and physical therapy
  • Financial affairs & bill paying

When your parent doesn’t leave home often, they need your companionship and inclusion in the family to avoid isolation.

3. As Your Elderly Parents’ Needs Continue Changing Colonial Home Care Services Can Help

If you live in Orange County, Long Beach, Mission Viejo, or the surrounding area, we’re here to help. We select and train our caregivers very effectively. They can help with all of your parent’s daily needs, whether it be coming in for an hour to bathe them or providing 24-hour care.

As family caregivers, respite care services can be beneficial and prevent anyone from experiencing caregiver burnout, where they are exhausted physically or emotionally to the point that they can’t care for mom or dad any longer.

Respite care will take pressure off everyone without compromising the care your parents are receiving. It will allow you to take some personal time to get refreshed and re-energized, which every family caregiver needs from time to time.

To arrange respite care or any of our other services for seniors, contact us today online or call (800) 497-1187 and schedule your free in-home care assessment.