Six Reasons to Hire a Home Care Aide from Visiting Angels of Bethesda

You’re grateful for everything your parents have done for you over the years, and you’re happy to return the favor by taking care of tasks they may start to have trouble with due to age-related issues. However, caring for an aging parent is entirely different from parenting children. Keep this in mind when your parents need support.

Is caring for an elderly loved one starting to become overwhelming? If so, you don’t have to do it alone. Visiting Angels of Bethesda can help. Our Angels help family caregivers throughout Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties assist and support their loved ones so they can avoid burning out and focus on spending quality time with Mom or Dad.

Here are six reasons why families hire our professional home care aides:

Role Reversal Isn’t Working

When caring for a senior loved one, it’s important to always keep in mind your parent is still your parent. No matter how dependent Mom becomes as her dementia progresses, it’s critical to maintain your mother-daughter relationship.

If you start treating your parents like children, they may push back to protect their pride, blocking your caregiving efforts. Most aging parents don’t want to be a burden. They wish their children didn’t have to help them with personal hygiene, banking or other tasks. Inverting the child-parent dynamic may not be healthy for your relationship.

With in-home senior care from Visiting Angels of Bethesda, you can focus on maintaining a parent-child relationship and making good memories with your loved one without focusing on taking care of them. Our home care aides will focus on tasks like helping your loved one get dressed or taking them to medical appointments while treating them with the respect and dignity they deserve.

There’s a Lot to Learn

In many cases, family members take on the caregiving role for a loved one due to an unexpected health event. Because the need to help their loved one becomes urgent, adult children are often unprepared for the role of primary caregiver.

Caring for seniors is multi-faceted and demanding. Consider the team of people caring for Dad: the nurse who administers his medications and the doctor who prescribes them. There’s also the janitor who cleans the floors, the server who brings his meals and the housekeeper who changes his soiled sheets. Will you be able to meet these needs?

It’s unrealistic for one person to assume these responsibilities alone. But with Visiting Angels of Bethesda, you’ll always have a home care aide who can support your loved one so you don’t have to shoulder the responsibility by yourself.

You Lack Backup Support

Caring for a senior loved one can be unpredictable and requires a team approach. What if Dad falls while you’re at work? Who will stop Mom from wandering?

Many adult children have their own families. What happens when situations arise in your immediate household requiring time away? You may have to travel for work or have an unexpected illness.

Even if you’re able to manage daily responsibilities, you need a backup plan in case an emergency arises and you need to spend time away from your loved one. Establishing a safety net early on is vital. Our home care aides can provide the backup you need so you can focus on taking care of your own family.

You Don’t Always Have the Time

Some aging parents require around-the-clock care. This level of care is extremely difficult to manage, especially if you have a job and family. At Visiting Angels of Bethesda, our professional home care aides are chosen to join our team because they’re knowledgeable, compassionate and trained to meet the specific care needs of the seniors we work with. We are available for weekday, weekends, holiday, overnight and 24-hour care, so you can have peace of mind knowing someone will always be there to provide the support your loved one needs when they need it most.

Your Family is Divided

When family members disagree about caregiving decisions, relationships can be strained. You think Dad needs an escort to medical appointments. Your brother disagrees. Dad’s safety may be at stake. Who decides?

You may feel responsible because you’re the oldest sibling. And you may feel like the rest of your family isn’t doing their fair share. Relationships can be tense before caregiving even starts. Add stepparents, in-laws and blended families to the mix, and the question of who’s going to care for Mom can be volatile. Are you ready for the conflict?

At Visiting Angels of Bethesda, we understand the importance of keeping families informed. Our home care aides will update you on your loved one’s well-being regularly. If circumstances change, we can offer suggestions on adjusting their care plan to best accommodate them. By keeping your family involved, everyone can work together to make decisions.

You Feel Like You’re Burning Out

Caregiver burnout can easily set in. Your kids and spouse miss you; you’ve sacrificed family dinners, school events and date nights. You can’t keep up with your household chores and Mom’s chores too. You’re doing twice the work, and it’s taking its toll. You haven’t slept through the night since Mom’s stroke, and you’re making mistakes on the job.

Burnout can be dangerous for both you and your loved one. If you’re starting to feel stressed out, count on Visiting Angels of Bethesda. Our home care aides can provide temporary respite care so you can take a well-deserved break.

If you’d like to learn how our professional home care aides can help your loved one, call Visiting Angels of Bethesda at 301-490-9050 to set up a free in-home consultation.