What Can You Do to Protect Your Senior’s Quality of Life?
As your senior’s family caregiver, it often falls to you to make sweeping decisions that help to protect and to support your senior. When it comes to her quality of life, these are some important things to keep in mind.
Pay Attention to Her Mental Health
Your senior’s mental health is incredibly important. There are multiple aspects of this, too. There’s the part where you make sure she’s able to have access to whatever she needs and wants in order to stay mentally active. There are also the aspects of mental health associated with how she’s feeling emotionally. Stay alert for signs of depression, for instance, so that you can work with her doctor to resolve the issue. Professional caregivers can also help keep an eye out for signs that your senior’s mental health is struggling.
Support Her Self-esteem
Growing older can deal a huge blow to your senior’s self-esteem. There may be a lot that she’s unable to do on her own, or at all. She may have lost abilities that she relied on for years. Find ways to help your senior to feel productive and to feel as if she has a purpose in life. Even small tasks and responsibilities can make a big difference.
Set up a Plan to Follow Her Doctor’s Orders
What has her doctor recommended that she do in terms of diet, sleep, and exercise? All of these concerns affect your senior’s quality of life, too, so they’re vital for you to consider. Making big changes frequently causes more frustration than lasting change, so start slowly and try to make changes for your senior’s good that are likely to last.
Find Ways to Keep Her Connected
Social interactions are another key part of quality of life. Take advantage of technology to help your senior to stay in touch with people she loves who are far away. If your senior doesn’t have a large family she can talk to, it might be time to bring in a caregiver for companionship and for additional assistance. Find ways for your elderly family member to make as many social connections as she possibly can.
Quality of life varies for everyone, but there are some aspects that are going to be more important to your elderly family member than others are. Don’t be afraid to sit down with her and to talk with her about what she wants from this stage of her life and what she wants it to look like. Keep her involved in planning her own happiness.
If you or an aging loved one is considering caregivers in East Brunswick, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Care Street Home Care today. Call (732) 607-8870.
The Care Street mission is straightforward and compelling: to provide a comprehensive range of the highest quality home health services in a professional and efficient manner that will enhance our clients' quality of life and empower families to keep their loved one at home.
Care Street has earned a reputation of excellence among hundreds of families, and is recommended by medical professionals and hospital discharge planners throughout the State.
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