For most of your life, your parent has likely been the one you turn to for large and small needs. However, as your parent ages, you may find the roles are reversing, and you are now the primary caretaker. While this process happens for many parents and their children worldwide, you may have some concerns. Luckily, CareGivers of America offers the following tips and suggestions to help you develop an effective long-term in-home care plan.

1. Understand How Much Care Your Parent Requires

Caring for a parent can feel overwhelming — especially if you don’t know how much care they actually need. One of the easiest ways to determine an accurate level of care is to write down every action you perform for your parent for a week. Review your notes at the end of the week and determine how much care you can complete yourself and what you may need to hire outside help for.

2. Consider Your Own Needs

One of the most essential rules of taking care of aging parents is to not exert yourself to the point where you get burned out and can’t care for yourself — let alone another person. Before trying to take on all of the responsibilities of caring for your parent on your own, here are some questions you might want to ask yourself:

  • Are you physically well enough to provide care?
  • Do you live close enough to provide the high level of care needed?
  • Do you have a positive relationship where you can spend long periods with each other without conflict occurring?

You aren’t selfish or heartless if you feel you are not the best person to care for your loved one. Making an honest assessment of your caregiving workload stress is the best way to set yourself and your parent up for success.

3. Explore Care Options

If you feel the level of care your parent requires is something you can’t provide alone, it’s worth investing in caregiver support. It’s important to remember that your home care provider can help fill the gaps in care. For example, you can use an outside care source to ensure your parent is safe overnight or for respite care so you can fully rest and recharge before resuming care for your parent and yourself.

Explore Care Options With CareGivers of America

Help your loved one receive the care they need with CareGivers of America. We are a licensed nurse registry and connect families across Florida with insured caregivers. Regardless of the level of in-home care your parent needs, our team is here and ready to refer excellent caregivers who can assist with various needs ranging from nursing to companion care. Contact our team to learn more about our referral process, or call (954) 206-1178 to schedule a free home visit.