Making Life Better for Your Aging Parent: 7 Helpful Tips

Your parents do everything for you from the day you are born.

They are usually the people you can go to for any help you need. There comes a time when the roles get reversed and you may have to be the one looking after your parents as they age. 

This article will provide you with seven helpful tips on how to make life better for your aging parents so that they can continue living a happy life with your support. 

1. Make Contact Regularly

One of the best things that you can do for your aging parent is to make contact with them on a regular basis. You may not realize and your parents may not say it but life can get very lonely as you age. Isolation levels significantly increase amongst elderly people and they may start feeling like they are a burden in people’s lives, especially their loved ones. Nowadays, communication is easy as long as you have a smart device you can see someone one simple click away on a video call. Your parents will surely appreciate this. 

2. Visit Them When Possible

Yes, calling or face-timing your parents may be great but nothing is as good as actually making the time to visit them. Physical contact is crucial, so make the time to see them whenever you can. Understandably, this may not be as simple as you would wish, especially if you live a busy life and do not live close to them. Even if you ensure that you visit them fortnightly it will make a difference and this way you can see how they are doing for yourself. 

3. Upgrade Their Home 

As you age you become less able to complete certain activities that young people take for granted. Going up the stairs or getting out of the bathtub are some examples of this. Can you imagine how difficult life can get if you cannot do these things by yourself? Thankfully, there are ways you can upgrade the home your parents to make things simple for them. 

A stair lift or lever handles in the bathroom are simple but effective ways to help your elderly parent. On the other hand, you may also want to consider whether it is appropriate for them to move to a more suitable home, such as a bungalow, although it may be difficult to convince your parents that this is a good decision. 

4. Hire Professional Support

Elderly parents may have additional needs that require full-time attention. As much as you may want to be the one giving them the care they need, understandably, you may not have the availability to do this. It is suggested that hiring a home care service provider may be a good idea to consider. These professionals are able to provide adequate support tailored to your parents’ needs so you do not have to worry that they are not being supported appropriately. 

Whether your loved one has impaired cognitive or physical abilities, they will receive care from qualified and experienced professionals. 

5. Automate Daily Tasks

Your parents come from a time with no technology, therefore they may not be up to date with the wonders of this new world. You may be aware that technology can facilitate our lives in many ways - food shopping, booking doctors' appointments and even getting prescriptions for medications are some examples of what can be done. These would most certainly be things that your elderly parents may need support with. Ensure these are done for them regularly or if they are willing to learn, teach them so that they still have some of their independence. 

6. Consider a Care Home 

This may be a difficult conversation to have with your parents as you may not feel comfortable with having them in a care home or maybe they refuse to leave the comfort of their own place. However, in some instances, this is the best decision for seniors to have an easier life. Depending on the one you choose, seniors should have their own rooms, access to a range of activities, and professionals taking care of them 24/7. As mentioned previously, a big factor to consider is isolation during the senior years - being in a care home increases residents’ social life as they will share the facilities with other individuals of the same age. 

7. Respect Their Wishes

Now that you are grown up you may think that you can simply take over your parents’ lives and that you know what is best for them. However, this may not necessarily be the case. As their child, you are allowed to give your opinion but it is not right to make decisions that they are not happy with. If you really want to make your parents’ life easier, then ask them what kind of support they require and respect their wishes. 

If you are responsible for taking care of your parents, you must ensure that you are doing this correctly. It can be a whole new world for you, so it is understandable if you struggle. Make sure to follow the tips discussed on this page, which will certainly help make your parents’ life easier.