Home Care Enables Holiday Travel With Your Senior Loved One

You look forward to that holiday trip with the entire family. Maybe it’s been long overdue. So, a holiday getaway is your chance to spend some precious, quality time doing whatever you want.

But you worry about bringing along your elderly loved one. Maybe Mom will need help taking medication while staying at an unfamiliar place. Or Dad is prone to falls. You’re concerned the travel may risk the wellbeing of the senior in your life.

Vacationers deserve to worry less and relax more. And partnering with the right home care provider can ensure your loved one gets vital care and attention that person is used to having at home.

1. Quality Home Care Agencies Have a Network of Franchises Nationwide

It’s convenient to use the same agency no matter where you’re going. An established home care agency will have a vast network to leverage.

You can quickly arrange for a reliable, professional caregiver located near your destination. A friendly home care rep will hear your concerns about travel. The rep will seek a professional caregiver within the network who is available to help. A professional caregiver can deliver a host of services. Perhaps your senior loved one needs help bathing. Or there will be times on vacation you may have to leave your elderly loved one at the lodging. This person may need extra rest.

A professional caregiver can drop by to give needed care. Additionally, the professional caregiver’s companionship will help safeguard your elderly loved one from being a target for thieves and scammers. Meanwhile, should an emergency arise when you’re not around, the professional caregiver can quickly call for help.

When it’s possible, a quality home care agency allows you to interview and choose your professional caregiver. So, you can feel confident the personality of the professional caregiver aligns with your elderly loved one. The professional caregiver focuses not only on providing care, but also treating your loved one with dignity and respect.

2. A Professional Caregiver Puts Your Loved One at Ease During Holiday Travel

A professional caregiver values the emotional needs of your elderly loved one. Holiday travel is exciting. But the sudden change in environment may be stressful for your senior. A professional caregiver will use strong interpersonal skills to build trust. Choosing one provider is vital to ensuring your loved one experiences no disruption of care. A large network will instill its best practices to all of its franchisees, ensuring your expectations don’t have to change just because the scenery did.

Companion care can be an outstanding option on the road. When your senior loved one quickly adapts to the travel destination, the entire family wins.

3. Holiday Travel Does Not Become a Working Vacation For You

Dressing, medication reminders, dietary restrictions - the needs of your senior don’t stop once you land at your destination. But the point of a vacation is to take a break from your hectic life.

The risk of burnout is high for family caregivers. Per the National Center on Caregiving: "...most caregivers are ill-prepared for their role and provide care with little or no support, yet more than one-third of caregivers continue to provide intense care to others while suffering from poor health themselves."

But a professional caregiver will take the burden off your shoulders. Then holiday travel will truly give you the quality time off you desire.

4. The Professional Caregiver Shares Care Notes

The best home care agencies train their professional caregivers to produce care notes. Writing care notes shows a caregiver is detail-oriented and focused. The care notes can be shared in a long-distance situation like a vacation caregiver for your elderly loved one.

Care notes illuminate the specific needs of your senior. The professional you hire on vacation will use care notes to provide quality feedback on any developments. Meantime, the vacation’s professional caregiver will also produce care notes, so you’re always in the loop on the physical and emotional state of your senior. A professional caregiver monitors your elderly loved one for changes in behavior. Furthermore, the scope of care may evolve. In the future, the care notes will be critical in making informed decisions about your loved one’s health.

5. Your Professional Caregiver Can Recognize Early Signs of Illness

No one likes to think about living with Alzheimer's or dementia. But the risk for these conditions increases with age. You may not be able to spot the early signs in your elderly loved one. But a qualified, compassionate professional caregiver can.

You should seek an agency offering support for these chronic conditions. The expertise of the professional caregiver can make a world of a difference. If your elderly loved one starts to exhibit warning signs while on vacation, a professional caregiver can help minimize risks to his/her safety.

A compassionate, professional caregiver makes life more comfortable for your senior loved one. So, when you hire one for holiday travel, you’ll spend more time creating joyful memories.