Elder care

What to Do if You Are Struggling to Care for an Elderly Person

Even if you are able to give an elderly person endless amounts of time and support, there might come a point where you are struggling to care for them without specialist care—especially if they have started to develop serious health issues, such as dementia. If this is the case, here are some top tips if you are struggling to care for an elderly person who you love.

Hire Home Help

If your elderly person wants to remain independent but you cannot manage their care alone anymore, you should consider hiring a home help service. A home help service will allow professionals to come to the home of your elderly person and help them to complete daily tasks and chores, such as dressing, washing, and cleaning.

They will also be able to check that your elderly person has everything they need (including food) and this will mean that you do not constantly have to stay with them. Not only this, but home help can be particularly useful if your senior has recently had an operation which they are recovering from.

Speak to a Therapist

The pressure of being a carer might be starting to get to you. Not only this, but you might start to feel guilty that you cannot do more for them. If this is the case, you should consider speaking to a therapist.

A therapist may be able to help you by giving you the chance to talk about your feelings and work through your honest emotions in a safe space. They may be able to give you tips on coping mechanisms and stop the emotions that you have been carrying from weighing you down.

You might then be able to stay more positive and you might be in a better position to make a plan for the future that could help both you and the senior in your life.

Find a Nursing Home

Although you might be reluctant to put your elderly person in a nursing home—especially if they do not want to move or give up their independence—this can sometimes be necessary. This is especially the case if your elderly person is at risk and if they could injure themselves when they are home alone.

Therefore, if your senior is struggling to complete simple daily tasks and you are unable to fully care for them and their health conditions, you should consider looking around for a nursing home for them. For instance, you might look around for a St Louis nursing home that offers skilled nursing and that can ensure that your senior is always in good hands. This will ensure that they get all the medical care and attention that they need if you are unable to cope with their care anymore.

Look After Yourself

You should also make sure that you put enough time into looking after yourself—or you may find that you are unable to care for your elderly person as much as you would like to. This means that you should take breaks and time off to enjoy the hobbies that you love, consider taking up meditation and breathing exercises, and eat well. You should also stay hydrated, perform gentle exercise, and rest when you need to. Furthermore, it is important that you get enough sleep each night. By doing this, you will be in the best position possible to care for the senior in your life.

Get Help from Relatives or Friends

If you are the only one who is caring for your elderly relative, or you need more help than you are currently receiving, you should ask for support and help from your relatives or even your friends—especially if they live close by.

You should make sure that you are specific with these requests so that your relatives know exactly what is needed of them. By doing this, you will be able to ensure that your elderly person can get round-the-clock care even when you are off-duty, and this will help to take some of the pressure away from you.

This help will also ensure that you always have a backup if there is a problem, which will prevent you from starting to feel resentful or frustrated toward your relatives if you have previously been left to care for them alone.

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