40 million US citizens care for adults and elderly family members or their close ones. Yet, according to "Caregiving in the U.S. 2015," the national survey conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving and the AARP Public Policy Institute, only a few are identified as caregivers.
A caregiver is someone who takes care of people who have long or short-term illnesses or disabilities. The primary role of a caregiver is to assist and support the patient with care, such as personal hygiene like bathing, grooming, dressing, and food preparation.
A good caregiver is empathetic and willing to respect the patient and provide assistance, so your loved one can live their lives without worry.
Caregivers play a pivotal role in the lives of the elderly. They perform various roles and responsibilities for the elderly, provide them with a stress-free life, and help meet the needs of the patients. Here are the eight ways caregivers can provide their services to the elderly:
Some seniors struggle to perform their daily tasks and chores independently. Tasks like bathing and personal hygiene can cause anxiety and distress to seniors. As a result, they avoid taking care of themselves. In this case, caregivers provide personal care assistance to the seniors to maintain their hygiene and support them with their daily activities.
Caregivers are also responsible for reminding seniors to take their prescribed medications. Some caregivers use pill boxes as a reminder tool to provide timely medication.
Caregivers assist the elderly in moving from one place to another. This can be from inside the house or via car. Caregivers also help use wheelchairs, which helps reduce the anxiety in seniors caused by the inability or difficulties faced by the elders.
Many seniors receive care from their family members, but sometimes they cannot assist or help. This is where the family approaches professional caregivers who can substitute and provide respite care to the patient by offering safe and comfortable services while providing a short break to the family caregiver.
Some seniors get caught up in staying inside their homes, which may cause feelings of loneliness or sadness. A caregiver provides companionship and helps seniors engage in fun, safe activities.
Senior adults are more prone to meet with an accident, mostly falling, which leads to injury; even minor injury takes a long time to recover due to senescent immune cells and aging. A few times, the elderly tend to hold mental stress. Thus a caregiver works as an aiding machine as they provide quality assistance to overcome these circumstances.
A sedentary lifestyle can cause health complications and increase loneliness. Caregivers can help seniors stay active by taking them out on daily walks around the neighborhood or doing simple exercises at home.
Light housekeeping, such as cleaning the dishes, organizing the bathroom, and dusting the main living areas, can help keep your loved one’s home safe. Unorganized and unclean living spaces can breed bacteria and be a falling hazard.
If you are looking for caregivers or respite care, contact our team at Newport Home Care and receive a free in-home assessment today. Newport Home Care is committed to providing outstanding in-home care services to all its clients in Newport Beach, CA, and surrounding areas.
