One out of every four Canadians acts as a family caregiver in some capacity, according to Statistics Canada. If this is a role you’re considering performing for a senior loved one, it can be helpful to have a better idea of what’s normally involved in serving as a family caregiver. Keep reading to learn more.
Monitoring Overall Health
Being observant is one of the essential traits of a family caregiver, especially since one of your responsibilities will be to keep an eye on your loved one’s general health and wellbeing. Specifically, you’ll want to pay attention to:
• How medications are taken
• Any changes in symptoms if your loved one has an underlying health issue
• Unexpected or unusual changes in sleeping, eating, and other daily habits
Assisting with Basic Needs
Basic needs can vary based on what type of regular assistance your loved one will need. However, this term generally includes things like dressing, grooming, and bathing. In some cases, assistance may be needed with toileting as well.
If your aging loved one needs help managing everyday tasks or encouragement to adopt healthier lifestyle choices, turn to Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of in-home care. Calgary Home Care Assistance provides professional in-home caregivers around the clock to help seniors live longer, happier, and healthier lives.
Preparing Meals
As a family caregiver, you may need to provide some assistance with preparing meals if your loved one is no longer capable of doing so independently or if his or her eating habits are affecting his or her health. This could involve making some healthy meals in advance that your loved one can heat up or being in the kitchen together to help with more demanding tasks.
A home caregiver can help your love one plan and prepare nutritious meals. Senior care agencies can be a great boon to seniors. With the help of the caregivers at Home Care Assistance, your aging loved one can lead a happier and healthier life. We offer a revolutionary program called the Balanced Care Method, which encourages seniors to eat nutritious foods, exercise and socialize regularly, and focus on other lifestyle factors that increase life expectancy.
Transporting & Transferring
If your loved one is no longer able to safely drive, he or she will likely rely on you to provide transportation, especially to medical appointments. Transferring is something you may have to do as well if your loved one has mobility issues and needs help getting out of bed or into and out of chairs.
Routine Household Tasks
Maintaining a home can become increasingly physically demanding and time-consuming for seniors. If you notice this happening with your loved one, one of your duties will likely involve helping with vacuuming, doing laundry, taking out the trash, and performing other tasks of this nature.
Creating a Consistent Care Plan
Another item on your caregiver to-do list will be preparing and following a care plan for your loved one. Typically, an effective care plan will be based on your loved one’s:
• Strengths and weaknesses
• Unique care needs
• Level of independence
Having a care plan in place makes it easier to provide a consistent level of care that addresses all current needs. It’s also important to update your loved one’s care plan as his or her needs change.
Providing Companionship
One of the most rewarding roles you’ll fill as a family caregiver is as a companion for your loved one. What’s also great about this aspect of being a caregiver for a loved one is that it can include everything from playing games together and working on creative projects with mind-body benefits to simply reminiscing and offering support and encouragement.
For families living in Calgary, respite care can be a wonderful solution when their aging loved ones need companionship and socialization a few hours a week or just need minor assistance with daily household tasks. At Home Care Assistance, we thrive on helping seniors maintain their independence while living in the comfort of home. Schedule a free in-home consultation by giving us a call today at 403-301-3777.