Six Reasons to Hire a Professional Home Care Aide from Visiting Angels Alexandria
Here are six reasons why families in Alexandria, Arlington, and surrounding areas in Virginia hire home care aides from Visiting Angel
As you grow up, you begin to sit there and realize all the things your parents did for you; you may feel an obligation — but also joy — in being able to return the favor as they grow older. But caregiving for an aging parent is entirely different from parenting children — and adult children should keep this in mind when their parents need support. Here are the six reasons many adult children, despite good intentions, are not prepared for the responsibility of caring for their aging parents.
Unprepared for a Steep Learning Curve
For many families, parenthood is not an event but a lifelong commitment. What happens when the child becomes the parent? And what about parents themselves? We repeatedly hear about how to care for one's aging parents, but what are they supposed to do when it's their time of need? Aging and chronic illness are gradual processes that most of us don't anticipate until it happens. When crisis strikes, though, family caregivers bear the brunt of responsibility.
Once you decide to take care of your parent, will you indeed be ready to meet these needs?
It's so easy to worry about what you will do while you're caring — and how much — when everything is going fine. But it's often just unrealistic to think that the home care aide will be smooth sailing once Mom or Dad gets home from the hospital, especially if this is all up to one person.
Role Reversal Doesn't Work
With the effects of dementia becoming more prevalent in our aging population, it is important for those taking care of the elderly parents as well as their children to know how to parent an aging parent. With dementia, there will be many changes in a person's personality and behavior, and this can mean that your parents may not want to be dependent on you for caregiving any longer.
They wish their children didn't have to help them with personal hygiene, banking, or other daily living activities they once were so capable of doing themselves.
This can sometimes cause strain on the child-to-parent relationship.
Family Dynamics Become Difficult
When family members disagree about caregiving decisions for a loved one, relationships can be strained. You think Dad needs an escort to medical appointments, but your brother may disagree. Dad's safety may be at stake. Who gets to make the final decision?
You may feel responsible because you're the oldest sibling or you live closest to your loved one. It may also start to feel like your siblings aren't doing their fair share. Relationships can be tense before caregiving even starts.
At Visiting Angels Alexandria, we aim to give families peace of mind with regular updates. Our home care aides will discuss your loved one's well-being and can offer suggestions if we feel they may benefit from more comprehensive care or a schedule adjustment.
No one to help if need of back-up
Unfortunately, the reality of caregiving is unpredictable. You never know how your loved one is going to feel that day or what may come up. Many adult children have their own families they need to tend to, so what happens when situations arise in your household? What if you need surgery and won't be able to help your loved one for several weeks while you're recovering?
Whether you are able to manage day-to-day responsibilities most of the time, finding a "Plan B" is never easy.
Little to no time
If your loved one needs around-the-clock care, you need to seriously consider your ability to manage this level of care and commitment if you have a job and a family at home. A professional caregiver can be trained in specific care needs that will meet the needs of the person you're caring for.
To begin with, we provide assistance with bathing or showering, dressing and undressing, toileting and incontinence care, and grooming.
Risk of Caregiver burnout
There is nothing easy about becoming your parent's caregiver. Even with the best intentions, eventually, burnout sets in without a robust support system. You start missing time with your own family, can't keep up with your obligations at home, and on top of that, you haven't slept through the night due to high amounts of stress.
Keeping your elderly parent safe — and meeting her needs — is a full-time job, but if you're also trying to do the full-time positions of managing your house and balancing a career on top of taking care of your own children, you will reach burnout. The weight of this responsibility can also affect your physical health too.
The reality is, burnout can turn dangerous for both you and your loved one.
To learn how home care aides from Visiting Angels Alexandria can help your loved one, call our office at 703-750-8121 and schedule an in-home consultation.