Caregiver near Vaughan – Is it Time to Get Help for Mom and Dad?

“ A Caregiver’s Story Near Vaughan”

It’s a difficult decision for adult children to make. When do your parents cross the line from being independent to needing a caregiver to help them with everyday tasks? It can be frustrating to try and make this decision when you’ve never been in this position before. Here are some questions that will get you thinking along the right path:

1. Did your parents used to drive but they can’t any longer?
2. Has the process of bathing or showering become more than they can handle without help?
3. How about cooking and cleaning – are they able to cook and eat healthy food on a daily basis?
4. Are they able to do the heavier things like vacuuming, laundry and washing floors?
5. Is their mental state deteriorating?

The above questions open the door to discussions of hiring a home care provider. A hired caregiver is an expert and professional in what they do. At first it may seem like a really foreign idea to your parents that someone would come into their home each day to help with things they could always do for themselves in the past.

But when your parents stop and think of the alternatives such as going weeks without bathing, or even being moved into a facility, the idea of in-home care providers becomes much more appealing.

One thing you can do to ease your parents’ minds is to have a caregiver come to the house and meet them. You could have a discussion about how helpful and encouraging it would be for them to have the extra assistance they need.

Here is a list of signs that your parents do need some constant supervision to keep them happy and safe:

• Your parents are missing some of their doses of medication, or they are taking the wrong amounts.
• You notice they aren’t always wearing clean clothes or keeping up their personal hygiene like they used to.
• One of your parents is mostly confined to a wheelchair and it’s difficult for the other parent to manage things on their own.
• Your parents are becoming more forgetful and you wonder if one or both of them are exhibiting signs of dementia.
• One or both of your parents have serious health issues.
• The responsibilities of caregiving have worn you out and you know you can’t continue without some serious help.
• You don’t have time to complete the other tasks in your life and spend time with other family members because all your time is taken in looking after your parents.

When your loved ones have the care they need in their home it takes a great deal of stress off the minds of the family members. You can continue to give your parents the love and support you always have, without getting overburdened by carrying all the caregiving duties on your own shoulders.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring a caregiver in Vaughan, contact the caring professionals at Staff Relief Health Care 24/7 at 905.709.1767.