One of the realities of being human is that you are always a subject of aging. No one knows what the future decades, centuries, or millennia hold for humanity, but beating aging is beyond the comprehension of modern science. Well, this should not in any way discourage anyone because life is beautiful, especially if you take care of yourself in your younger years enough to age gracefully and happily. All the same, old age comes with tons of challenges, and that’s a fact we all must face!
As one approaches their golden years, the body gets weaker and more prone to various sorts of ailments. As they celebrate more birthdays, it reaches a point where the basic activities of everyday life become a buzz kill. This is when aging parents demand as much care as they can get from their relatives, especially their children. If you have a parent or relative in this situation, it can be exceedingly frustrating sometimes to meet their care needs while keeping up with your busy schedule. Thankfully, this piece provides a few tips on what to do when your aging parent needs care and you are constantly busy.
1. Seek Professional Help
A busy schedule is sometimes the last thing you want to get between you and ensuring the best care for your elderly parents. However, it is not out of this earth to get caught in a dilemma between your career and reciprocating the many years of tender love and care. The good thing is that in such a case, professional care is always there to step in. These days, professional nursing facilities provide a wide range of services for elderly care. You can choose between respite and residential care depending on your aging parent’s needs. The good ones also offer a range of other services, including palliative care, sensitive care, and community housing.
As if that’s all, government programs for elderly care are also available. If the needs of your aging relative are not so demanding, you could also choose for them to receive professional care at home by hiring a daytime caregiver. Your choice will largely revolve around a few factors, some of which include the following:
- Your parent’s age and needs
- Affordability
- How tight your schedule is
- Your neighborhood
- What the patient is comfortable
2. Plan Ahead Always
When you have to take care of your older folks amidst a busy schedule, you will need to plan your time better than before. This means carefully assessing your elderly parent’s needs against the time you have available when planning your routine. If you are constantly busy, you might have to cut off some personal activities and commitments so you can adjust to the new reality. While doing so, planning major activities ahead of time will help avoid snarl-ups that could put the wellbeing of your elderly parent in jeopardy. For instance, you could plan events like get-togethers or when your aging relatives will meet their grandkids at least a few weeks before it happens. Also, be sure to plan ahead for important stuff like their visits to the doctor or medical assessment, family dinners, or major events in their lives.
3. Get Help … More People Involved
While you can be amazing taking care of your older parents, things could at times get overboard. As earlier hinted, it could greatly affect your financials, emotions, and social life. You may not even have the capacity to do enough to ensure quality care for your aged parent when you have a busy schedule. In this respect, it pays to involve a few trusted people, including family members or your closest friends. If you live with your aging parents or you know their neighborhood, you could have a trusted neighbor to keep an eye on them while you are away.
4. Stay in Contact and Keep Track of Them
When you are busy, an aging parent who needs care will sometimes spend time alone. This could be in your home, their home, or even an elderly care facility. Whichever the case, elderly neglect and abuse are real, and you should never stay too long without checking upon them. If they live away from you, make plans to visit them often – as much as you can. For those suffering from illnesses like dementia, you could go the extra mile and get one of those GPS trackers for seniors, just in case they wake up in the middle of the night for a stroll and they get lost. This helps ensure their safety, both physically and emotionally.
A busy schedule should never be an excuse to deny your elderly parents the care that they need. Of course, sometimes it takes giant sacrifices. It can take a toll on your financial, physical, and emotional wellbeing even. However, it gets better if you are well informed, disciplined, and considerate. In this case, the above few tips should help you see that your aging parent gets the best care they deserve even if you are dealing with a constantly busy schedule.
