A Senior’s Preference on Aging in Place
According to the United States census, for the first time in history, older people will outnumber children. This means that the need for assisted living and senior care is at an all-time high. It isn’t simple for an older person to admit that they need help. Many elderly adults want to feel that they are capable of living and functioning alone. Therefore, many older adults choose aging in place over moving into a senior living home. For an older adult to move into a senior living home is for them to leave the comforts of their home. They must live somewhere where they aren’t able to have space and comforts that they are used to.
Care Management
In order to figure out the services they will receive when choosing to age in place, a senior will most likely need to work with a care manager. When it comes to working with care managers, elderly people need to feel heard. If an elderly person has a care manager who only seems to be mildly listening, they will not feel secure in what their care manager has to suggest to them. A senior wants to be spoken to and regarded as an adult, not a child.
Personal and Companion Care
For an older adult, receiving personal care means receiving help with bathing, eating, moving around, taking medication, using the restroom, and other daily activities. For seniors, this is one of the hardest aspects of aging in place. They may feel that they have reverted to being a child again and detest being treated like one. This can bring a huge sense of shame to a senior and leave them feeling humiliated. Seniors want a personal caregiver that understands their feelings of embarrassment. They also appreciate a caregiver that treats them as an adult, not a child.
It can take a lot for a senior to accept help, even after arranging for personal assistance. If a caregiver shows that they understand how hard it is for a senior to accept their help, the elderly adult will eventually feel better about requiring help. Additionally, they must do all they can to make the senior feel comfortable.
Companion care revolves more around a senior’s safety. A companion caregiver will supervise the senior and offer them companionship. For some seniors, this may initially make them feel as though they were being babysat and take some time to adjust to. For others, the companionship may be a welcome change. It is important for a senior to receive companionship from a caregiver who is kind and patient. Otherwise, the senior may feel like a child or a burden.
Nursing Care
Many seniors will require nursing care when they choose to age in place. This can be for routine tube-cleaning, medical caretaking, or rehabilitation. For many elderly adults, rehabilitation, in particular, can be very challenging and frustrating. Needing nursing care can often make a senior feel helpless and exasperated. It takes a nurse with a lot of patience and understanding. These qualities help make them feel that they are receiving the proper care they deserve.
Aging In Place with A Better Solution
A Better Solution offers placement services, care management, transportation services, homemaker services, companion care, personal care, and nursing care. Additionally, they offer excellence in at-home care. Aging in place is easy when it is understood that each senior is unique. A Better Solution understands and caters to this. Not only will the clients of A Better Solution feel cared for, but their families will rest easy knowing that their senior family member is receiving such specialized, careful care.
