If your parents are getting older, and they often feel lonely and useless, it is your responsibility to take care of their physical and mental health. If you are working full time or have young kids to look after, this can be a challenging situation. However, there are some great ways you can make your elderly relatives feel helpful and productive, independent, and give them a new reason to look forward tomorrow. Here’s just a few…
Include Them In Family Vacation Plans
There is nothing worse than not having anyone to talk to all day. If you are planning a vacation with the kids and your partner, you should invite your relatives to join you. Tell them that the fresh air and change of scenery will help with their health and wellbeing. Give them space and make sure they have their freedom to adjust their schedule according to their health needs and energy level, but make them feel included in the programs.
Keep an Eye on Their Medical Needs
Older people often neglect taking the pills or forget their important check up appointments. If you would like to help them, don’t immediately step in, but put a system in place so they can keep an eye on their medication and track the dates. If this doesn’t really work out for you and your elderly relative, you might want to gently remind them of the visits and screenings, without looking bossy or too pushy.
Give Them Small Tasks, Such as Babysitting
It is a good idea to involve your relatives in your entire life. If your parent is living alone and lost a long term partner, they might think that they will have to live the rest of their lives staring at the same four walls. You can ask them to watch the kids or teach them some of the essential skills, such as crocheting or woodworking while you are doing the shopping for the family and them.
Get Them a Pet
Emotional connections are just as important in old age as at other stages in life. If you have limited time to visit your relatives regularly, and sit down to have a long conversation, you can get companion services ordered, or get them a pet. If you don’t know whether or not they would be happy to look after a cat or dog, you can get a companion pet from www.certapet.com so they have some responsibility and a companion that will ease their sense of loneliness.
Invest In Home Improvement and Adaptation
If your relative has mobility issues, you should find a way to help them with independent living, so they don’t start thinking about being put in a care home. There are several disability aids for the home you can install yourself, such as rails and mobility ramps, so they can still live at home and do the things they want to.
How do you support your elderly relatives?
If you would like to support your elderly relatives, make sure that you involve them in your family life as much as possible and monitor their mental and physical health.
