What Do You Do When Your Dad Needs Help and Wants to Age at Home?
Your dad’s made it clear that he wants to age at home. He doesn’t want to leave his neighborhood or town. He doesn’t want to downsize. What can you do to make sure he has the support he needs when aging at home?
Hold a Family Discussion
Elderly Care Ada, MI: Aging at Home
You need to sit down and talk with your dad about the things he is capable of doing on his own and where he feels he needs help. Now, compare what he feels he needs help doing with what you and your siblings see him struggling to do.
If your dad admits he doesn’t cook meals because it’s too hard to stand for a long time, meal preparation services are important. You might have noticed that your dad’s not taking care of his toenails. He doesn’t want to admit he struggles with foot care, but it’s important to address it if he’s not doing it on his own.
Look at the activities of daily living. Is your dad able to feed himself, get showered and dressed, and walk around? How about the instrumental activities of daily living? Can he pay his bills, cook meals, drive a car, and order prescription refills? How is he with doing the laundry, remembering to take his daily medications, and getting groceries?
Create a Checklist
As you talk about the things he can and cannot do, create a checklist of things he needs help with. Some of those chores may be things your family can do for him. If you’re free on a Sunday and can cook his meals for the week, that will help him. For things that no one can fit into their schedule, you’ll need caregivers to help complete them.
Those tasks are the elderly care services you’ll want to discuss with a specialist. As you ask questions and get answers, additional ideas may arise. Listen to the specialist’s assessment of services that will help your dad remain safe and happy at home. You’ll find the specialist is the best way to look at all of your dad’s options.
Make sure your dad is part of the discussion. He may have questions of his own that should be addressed. Call an elderly care agency and make arrangements to have a representative talk to your family about pricing and services. From there, you can schedule and services and schedule that appeals to your dad.
If you or someone you know needs help with elderly care in Ada, MI, contact Gauthier Family Home Care. We provide quality and affordable home care services in our community. Call us at (616) 258-2300 for more information.
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