Why Raleigh-Area Families Should Hire a Professional Caregiver

You're grateful for everything your loved ones have done over the years and want to repay them for all their support and kindness by taking care of them in their old age. However, taking care of an elderly loved one is quite different from raising a young family. Over time, you may find yourself too stressed out to properly care for your loved one or you may not have the knowledge needed to provide the support they need.

Visiting Angels of Raleigh is here to provide a helping hand if you need more support in caring for an aging family member. You can rest easy knowing that your loved one is in good hands with our compassionate professional caregivers since they have the expertise to help them with daily tasks and the empathy to put their needs and well-being first. Our client-centered approach to senior care has made us a trusted resource for families in Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, Fuquay-Varina, Apex, and surrounding areas in Wake County, NC since 2000.

Why Hire a Professional Caregiver from Visiting Angels of Raleigh?

Hiring a stranger to care for your loved one can understandably make you feel apprehensive. If you're on the fence about hiring a professional caregiver from Visiting Angels of Raleigh, here are some reasons why you and your loved one will benefit from working with us:

There's a Lot to Learn When Caring for a Senior Loved One

When something unexpected happens to a family member's health, it's common for other family members to step in and provide care. In most cases, however, family caregivers lack the necessary skills to properly provide the care their loved ones need. Caregiving is often complex and time-consuming.

You might think of the nurse who gives Dad his pills and the doctor who prescribes them as a team caring for Dad. In addition to that, there is someone who sweeps the floors, someone who cooks his meals, and someone who replaces his linens when they get dirty. In all honesty, do you think you're prepared to fulfill these requirements?

One individual cannot reasonably be expected to take on all of these obligations by themselves. However, if you hire a professional caregiver from Visiting Angels of Raleigh to come to your loved one's home, they will be well taken care of even when you have to attend to other matters. Furthermore, our Angels are there to help with whatever you may be unable to do on your own. For example, if your loved one is dealing with symptoms of a chronic illness, we can provide the support they need so they can focus on their health and increase the likelihood of symptom-free "good days" they have.

You're Starting to Burn Out

It's easy to become burned out taking care of an elderly relative. You may miss out on important family moments like supper and school functions, and it may impact your relationship with your significant other because you can't spend as much time with them. You may have too much on your plate between your own housework and helping your parent out. When caring for a loved one, you're putting in double the effort, and it will start to show over time. Since your loved one's stroke, you've been having trouble sleeping, and it's affecting your work. Both you and your loved ones are at risk if you experience burnout. After all, if you're too exhausted to properly provide care, you may miss important details.

But if you hire a professional caregiver from from Visiting Angels of Raleigh, you can take a much-needed break without worrying about your loved one's well-being. We can help your loved one with household tasks and keep an eye out so you can focus on relaxing and recharging your batteries.

You Don't Have Additional Support

Preparing for the unexpected is essential when caring for a loved one and often requires a collaborative approach with family, friends, and neighbors. But in some cases, you may not have others to rely on. For example, your family may live outside the Raleigh area or your loved one's closest friends may have passed away.

Additionally, it's common for adult children to start their own families and careers. But it can be difficult to juggle all these priorities when you don't have a support network. Your job may require you to travel, or you may suddenly get sick. When you're at work, your loved one could trip and fall and may need to go to the hospital urgently. If your loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, who will help prevent them from wandering and getting lost? You still need a backup plan, even if you're capable of doing your everyday duties. It's important to set up some kind of safety net right away.

Visiting Angels of Raleigh is here to help when you need additional support. Our respite care services provide much-needed breaks for primary caregivers like yourself, allowing you to concentrate on other aspects of your life while still ensuring that your elderly loved ones get the care they need.

Role Reversal is Hurting Your Relationship

Even though your loved one needs your care and support, they are still your parent. Although your loved one has become more reliant on you as their dementia worsens, it is essential that you continue to cherish your time together. They may resist your attempts to care for them if you treat them like children, out of pride. Most elderly people don't like to place a burden on their children. They would prefer that their kids didn't have to assist them with things like personal hygiene, banking, and other chores. Changing the parent-child dynamic might be harmful to your relationship.

If you decide to hire a professional caregiver to come to your loved one's home, you can be certain that they will be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. Our caregivers at Visiting Angels of Raleigh provide more than just help with basic everyday tasks. Rather of making seniors in the Raleigh area feel like a burden, our caregivers make them feel valued and appreciated via meaningful interaction and companionship.

Caregiving Can Impact Your Family Dynamic

Relationships might become strained when family members argue about caregiving choices for a senior loved one. You believe it is necessary to accompany them to their doctor's appointments. But your sibling strongly disagrees. Who makes the final call?

Some families already have strained ties before one of its members becomes a caregiver. If you're the eldest child and you don't think your younger siblings are pitching in, you may feel a sense of obligation to shoulder the burden alone. Additionally, the topic of who will take care of your loved one may become especially contentious when stepparents, in-laws, and mixed families are involved. Are you prepared to face the challenge?

Keeping in touch with the families we serve is a top goal at Visiting Angels of Raleigh. If your loved one's health changes or we suspect they may require more care, our team will keep you informed and provide suggestions. That way, making caregiving decisions can be a little easier for your family.

You Just Don't Have the Time

You may feel fine with assisting your loved one with everyday tasks for a couple hours a day. However, it's possible that your loved one may need around-the-clock support over time, especially if they develop advanced age-related issues or a long-term health issue that impacts their ability to live independently. It's almost impossible to juggle this degree of care with other responsibilities, including work and family life.

At Visiting Angels of Raleigh, our professional caregivers are an excellent resource for seniors who need long-term care in the Raleigh area since they are well-informed, empathetic, and equipped to handle their unique care requirements. In addition to providing hourly or short-term care to assist with Activities of Daily living, we also offer overnight monitoring and 24-hour care for those who need constant care. Our care plans are personalized and flexible, so even if your loved one doesn't need around-the-clock care now, we can always work with you to adjust the schedule of caregiver visits should they need more comprehensive care.

Your Loved One Needs More Comprehensive Care

If your loved one simply needs assistance with everyday tasks, you may be fine handling the responsibility yourself. But do you have the knowledge needed to provide support for a loved one with Alzheimer's? If they're recovering from surgery at home, will you know how to help them out so they don't develop complications and end up getting readmitted? If they move to a nursing home or assisted living facility, will you know whether the staff is providing the care they need? Oftentimes, family caregivers don't have the expertise needed to provide quality care for a loved one in specific circumstances. Not providing your loved one with the care they truly need can negatively impact them in the long run.

A professional caregiver from Visiting Angels of Raleigh will have the experience needed to provide your loved one with the comprehensive and dignified care they deserve. For many years, we have helped seniors with memory-related conditions get the care and companionship they need to age in place and have helped seniors safely recover at home after undergoing surgery. And we provide more than in-home care. Our caregivers can also supplement the care your loved one is currently receiving at a residential facility by keeping them company, providing overnight monitoring, and so much more.

You can count on our caregivers in a variety of scenarios to give you and your family complete peace of mind.

Considering hiring a professional caregiver? Call our Raleigh, NC office at 919-787-4317 or fill out our form to schedule a free in-home consultation!