Discussing home care with your beloved elderly relatives
When you start to notice changes in your elderly relative and realise that it’s more than just an “off” week, you’ve probably considered how to provide them with some extra help at home.
But before you can do much more than research the options, the situation requires a talk with your loved one – this can be a difficult conversation to have for many families.
Many families tell us it’s usually difficult for a parent or older relative to accept that the time has come to start to receive assistance with day to day task In their home.
Being told that you’ve noticed they’re having trouble going about daily life like they used to can be confronting for your loved one, and they may deny they need assistance.
Some clients tell us it can take up to 6 months for their elderly relaites to agree to accepting help and in-home services from companies Like Aquamarine Personalised Home Care.
As Aquamarine’s Customer Services Manager, Jenelle Mitchell has a wealth of experience in this part of the home-care journey.
Jenelle knows that there’s no perfect script to make the conversation about a loved one’s declining abilities easier, because it very much depends on the individuals involved.
Jenelle has some useful tips on how you can start the topic of in-home care, with the goal of agreeing on some actions that will benefit your beloved relative.
How to to approach this sensitive subject
Jenelle shares one way of opening the conversation about having in home Care is to start with an acknowledgement that we’re all getting older and that one day most of us may need some help to stay safe in our homes and continue doing the things we enjoy
It’s a casual, non-confrontational start that can lead in to a talk about where, ideally, your family member would like to age and how they anticipate being able to do that.
Jenelle shares that most people she meets through her work at Aquamarine are keen to remain in their home. If you’ve established that continuing to live at home is a priority for your loved one, you can then look together at what actions will make this possible and personalise a solution that both of you are comfortable with.
Jenelle and all the Aquamarine Personalised Home care team are here to help in any way they can in building and adjusting clients private home care plans to match their personal needs.
We are here to answer your questions , common question’s Jenelle get’s daily include – “What services do care staff offer?” and “What are the benefits of respite care for families?”
We can help with introducing home care slowly and sensitively with your loved ones, we offer complimentary in home assessments and meet and greet with multiple care staff to ensure you find the right match for you and your loved ones.