Tina and her mother had always gotten along. However, when she moved her mother in to live with her after a stroke, it seemed their relationship grew more strained. Tina’s mother refused to have help with bathing and grooming, and was extremely critical of the meals Tina served. When her mother seemed a little bored, she would inundate Tina with comments or demands. Tina felt like their relationship had changed from a parent and child to one full of resentment. When she spoke with her aunt about it, Tina was advised to look in to home care options.
It’s difficult to transition from adult parent and adult child to elderly parent and family caregiver. Decades of learning how to take care of each other are suddenly shifted and that can cause tension between you and your aging parent. When you are in a family caregiver situation and find yourself arguing more and more, you should consider hiring some home care assistance to give you both some relief.
It’s not uncommon for elderly parents and their caregiving children to argue. Usually, it is about the small things regarding bathing, hygiene, safety, medicine, meals and more. However, sometimes it is about life-changing things like selling the family home, chronic health issues, driving problems, and more. Arguing means that nobody is being heard and that any problems are being left unsolved. Sometimes it seems that caregivers and seniors are spending too much time together dealing with a lot of different topics. That’s why a home care assistant may be the ideal way to help resolve several kinds of arguments.
Home care aides are brought in by a licensed and reputable agency to provide basic services for seniors that can no longer take care of some or all of their daily needs. By having a non-family member come in to take care of some of the basic tasks, the family caregiver is relieved of some of the pressures they may face. A home care aide is trained to work with seniors and won’t take things personally. They are experienced in helping elderly people will all kinds of tasks, such as bathing, grooming, toileting, housekeeping, shopping, meal preparation and running errands. It may be just what an adult child and their elderly parent need to minimize arguments about elderly care.
A month or so after the home care aide started her morning shifts of helping Tina’s mother get up and ready for the day, both women felt like their relationship was much better. The aide was on time and responsive to Tina’s mother’s needs and took a lot of the caregiving pressures away. Tina could focus more on emotionally supporting her mother and managing her health and wellness. Tina’s mother had a reliable person to assist her without any emotional entanglements. In their situation, home care brought them closer together and for the most part, stopped the arguments that were pulling them apart.
For home care in Turnersville, NJ, and the surrounding areas, call and talk to us at Home to Stay Healthcare Solutions (856) 321-1500.