The Role of Primary and Secondary Caregivers in Senior Care
As your loved one gets older, they might have problems with mobility, they may not be able to get around the way they used to before, and they may need more senior care. There’s also the danger of slips, trips and falls if they try to do more than they are comfortable doing. At the same time, there is no need for the senior to give up all their favorite activities. Many times, what a senior needs is a caregiver who will be there to help them when they need it.
Why Get a Caregiver?
The needs of seniors vary from person to person. Some seniors may need more help while others might need less. In either case, having a caregiver there can help them to feel more secure. It will also give peace of mind to their loved ones who may be worried about how the senior is managing things.
Respite Care vs. Assisted Living
The senior has two choices. They can either get a caregiver to come to their house for a certain number of hours per day. This will enable the senior to continue living in their home where they are most comfortable. The other option is to move to an assisted living facility where there will always be a caregiver available to help them out with their needs. The advantage of such a facility is also that the senior will get to socialize with other seniors who are living there.
Activities, Food, Medication
The caregiver will be able to help the senior to work on any projects that they enjoy such as gardening or taking care of pets. They can gently encourage the senior to take part in activities such as book clubs and art classes. They can help with food preparation so that the senior has tasty, nutritional meals to look forward to. And they can administer any medication that the senior might need to take on a regular basis.
Help for Primary Caregivers
Although the senior’s family members are also their caregivers, they may not have the time to care for the senior during the day when they are at work. So having a day person come in and take care of the senior can be helpful. This doesn’t mean that the family members are not caregivers anymore; it’s just that everyone needs some help when it comes to caregiving from time to time.
Contact us to learn more about the benefits of getting a caregiver for your senior.