Tips for Adult Children Caring for Aging Parents

Are you serving as a caregiver or on a team supporting your aging parents at home? Caring for a parent as their adult children can be both a rewarding and difficult position, and requires a lot of self evaluation and self care. At Senior Home Companions, we want to assist you in this journey to avoid burnout and ensure that your entire family has the best experience possible. 

Work Together with Others

Doing everything yourself is a surefire way to feel burnt out quickly. Caring for yourself, your home and your own children or partner can already be overwhelming at times, so trying to do everything to care for an aging parent as well is not healthy. Delegate tasks that your siblings or other relatives can help with, such as transportation to appointment or meal preparation. 

Family and friends can also help by staying in touch or keeping your parent company when you are unable. Even in the age of COVID, keeping in contact via mail, phone or computer is helpful to prevent feelings of isolation. And don’t forget that the companion caregivers at SHC are trained and ready to support your family for in-home services ranging from a few hours a day to 24/7 care. 

Community Resources

Make sure to take advantage of the resources for elders in your community to support your path to caregiving. Organizations like your local Council on Aging can provide subsidies and support services for caregiving needs, as well as hosting support groups for seniors and caregivers alike. 

Many community groups offer educational opportunities so that you can learn more about how to best care for your aging parents. And the national Meals of Wheels nonprofit is an excellent way to get hot meals and individual companionship to seniors who are unable to shop or cook for themselves. 

Legal Changes for Adult Children

If you are concerned about the financial and legal relationships that may need to be discussed with your aging parents and extended family, Senior Home Companions can support you here as well. Our Family Matters Counseling is led by SHC President David Morgan, and provides your family with a platform to discuss the many issues that come with aging. 

At SHC, our top priority is to serve our senior clients and their families with integrity, effectiveness and compassion. We can work together to explore your loved one’s goals for living independently, identifying responsibility and family roles for care and determining health or mobility concerns for living arrangements moving forward. 

Respite Care

As adult children caring for aging parents, sometimes you may need to take time for yourself. It is estimated by AgingInPlace that in the past five years, over 40 million family caregivers provided 37 billion hours of care for loved ones. And half of those caregivers found it moderately or even very difficult to balance caregiving with work and other tasks. 

When you need a break from hands-on caregiving, reach out to the caregivers at Senior Home Companions for respite care. We provide the same high caliber of services and referrals as we do in our regular in-home companion care division. Whether for a few hours to run errands or multiple nights for an extended trip or vacation, you’ll know that your loved one is being cared for with dignity in the comfort of their own home.

Are you ready to set up your complimentary consultation with Senior Home Companions? Contact our office today so that we can support you in your caregiving journey.