How to Take Care of Your Parents After They Go to an Old Age Home

Old age homes take care of the elderly people who are self-sufficient but cannot stay alone. Old people who suffer from complex medical conditions have facilities in old age homes. Here are some of the things you can do to take care of your parents after they go to an old age home, to make their lives easier, safer and less lonely.

Recommended Read: Checklist for Old Age Home

Keeping track is essential
Find out if the retirement homes for your elderly parents have ample surveillance cameras to keep track of their movements.

Ensure round-the-clock medical aid
Make sure that the old age home has emergency medical facilities since you never know when an illness or accident might occur. Onsite doctors, provision for routine checkups are among services that can help your parents. Consider nursing homes if your elderly family member needs constant professional care, as these will have licensed nurses and caregivers.

Visit as much as possible
Loneliness is often the biggest problem and this leads to depression at times. So, do try visiting your parents and make sure that the old age home has a friendly community. On the other hand, for aged patients with dementia, Alzheimer’s, or those who have undergone surgery, you can consider availing elder home care services. Such professionals can offer daily assistance to the elderly, prepare meals, give them company and request medical help whenever required.

Mind their medicines
With age, people often become forgetful or suffer from poor eyesight, which makes it difficult for them to take the right medicines. Though old age homes have professional caregivers to supervise this, you can be extra careful by keeping medicine organizers and cross-checking their medicines with prescriptions.

Make their lives interesting
Aging often brings with it a feeling of purposelessness, disinterest in life and a general feeling of fatigue. To prevent your aged parents from becoming victims of these emotions, find out how their old age home plans keep them engaged. Your parents can enjoy hobbies like reading, gardening, playing cards or even shopping together. Some homes also arrange community meals where some people cook and others assist them with cleaning. By sharing meals, elderly individuals can feel loved and be happy. They can also volunteer for charity work, go for short walks or join a fitness program to stay healthy.

Don’t ignore money matters
Staying at an old age home doesn’t mean that your elderly parents have no financial worries. They can be worried about their will and other legal documents. So, it’s best to hire a lawyer and get everything sorted to put your parents at ease. You can also keep a tab on their credit card expenses to make sure they are not falling into any investment scams. Try to contribute a manageable amount of money for their daily expenses.

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