3 Tips for Caring for a Loved One at Home

Whether it's a spouse, parent or sibling, if you're providing care for someone at home the challenges can be daunting.

First things first, there is no one size fits all for caregiving. Your plan of care will vary depending on the ailments of your loved one, the severity of those ailments, their living conditions, individual idiosyncrasies, your own abilities and possibly their financial condition as well.

That said, we do have a few tips that could help you get started:

HOME MODIFICATIONS

Homes aren't typically designed for the frail. One of the first things you may want to do is determined what modifications to your home you can make to ensure safer and more convenient living. You may want to hire a certified aging in place expert or address some areas of need yourself.

The 5 home modifications we love for everyone are:

• Grab bars in the shower, bathtub and by all toilets
• Railings on both sides of all stairways
• Improved lighting in hallways, steps, stairways and by the front door entrance
• Bidet toilets (avoids range of motion issues and improves hygiene - proven to reduce UTI's)
• Place all cabinetry and items within reach (no step stool required)

TECHNOLOGY

There are so many new technologies that can be adapted for caregiving uses and or have been specifically developed for caregiving recently. Look to use technologies to help improve health, safety, comfort, convenience and efficiency. Some of our favorites are:

• Smart speaker / digital assistants
  • Voice prompts to make phone calls, control the TV, get the weather, listen to music, etc...
    
    
• Smart technologies
  • Remote control and/or voice prompts to control lights, temperature, alarm, door locks, etc...
    
    
• Digital home security and remote camera's
  • See who's going in and out of the home, how your loved one is being cared for, if their safe while you're out
    
    
• Medical alert and fall detection systems
  • Get peace of mind with a life alert system when you're not close by
• Telehealth
  • Avoid unnecessary and often difficult trips to the doctor's office for what could be handled in a video consult, or through remote healthcare technologies.

PROFESSIONAL CARE

Even if you have all the time and patience in the world, some times professional care can be a godsend. Again this may depend on your situation and finances will play a role. However, it should be a consideration and may be scheduled in a way that is more cost effective than a nursing home.

A professional caregiver doesn't have to be full time. They can come to help with duties you may find physically difficult like bathing and toileting. They can come to offer you coverage while you tend to work or chores outside your home like doing the groceries and shopping. Or you may need a caregiver to offer you a half day off every few days to give you respite so you can focus on yourself by getting together with a friend, going to the gym or anything else essential to your mental and physical well being.