As people age, it often becomes difficult to stay in touch with friends and family. The situation is even more complex for people with medical conditions, such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and respiratory diseases. If you have a senior at home and you have a busy life, it might be the time to consider using companion care for seniors services.
Personal companions can offer assistance in light housing duties and home healthcare. Here’s more about how a personal companion can benefit an elderly parent or another loved one.
Cognitive Stimulation
If your loved one has dementia, they can have problems with communication. They tend to lose memory of people and things over time. It can be severe enough that the condition affects their normal life. Dementia also affects their behavior. For example, your elderly parent may become more anxious and depressed.
With companion care for seniors, your loved one can benefit from cognitive stimulation therapy, which usually is a medication-free program designed to improve mental activity. For effective results, it’s usually advisable to begin this therapy before the signs of dementia show or worsen. The approach involves exposing seniors to things they’re interested in to help challenge their minds.
Companion Care for Seniors and Incontinence
The inability to control bladder and bowel movements is a common problem as people age. In the case of dementia, incontinence usually occurs when your loved one cannot remember where the toilet is or how to get to it. Do not to shame or embarrass them.
Instead, companion care for seniors can help to monitor their condition and remind them to visit the bathroom at least every two hours. They’ll also help to identify the time of the day when the problem is worse for your parent.
A care aid can also offer other ways to minimize the incontinence. Furthermore, your loved one’s companion can help with changing their incontinence products and other toileting assistance needs.
Medication Reminders
Depending on your loved one, some medication routines can be challenging to keep up with. It’s easy for them to skip or forget to take their medications regularly. That’s a big problem if they need to take pills regularly. Of course, there are tools like a pillbox or using an alarm as a reminder. But, still, companion care for seniors can help, especially when taking medications with adverse side effects.
Understanding the dangers of medication mismanagement or interactions is a vital part of companion care to help keep your elderly parent or another person safe. Also, someone needs to be close to your loved one to monitor and report any possible side effects. You can also learn more about how companions can help to take care of your loved one here.
Final Words on Companion Care
Making sure your loved one is safe and has proper care while you’re away at work is essential. Activities such as bathing, dressing, and exercises are ones that they probably can’t do alone. Plus, they simply need company for an active social life and to lower restlessness and depression.
Lastly, are you wondering how to hire a senior companion? It’s important to choose a companion based on your elderly parent’s needs. For example, around-the-clock care might be necessary. If so, live-in or overnight companion care might be the best option for your aging parent or another close senior.
I have been using a companion carer for just over twelve months. Our Dr suggested this, to get things in place sooner rather than later so that when additional care may be required, we already have someone in place that we know. The lady who calls in is wonderful, Mom calls her “her friend”, she sits and chats away with Mom, Dad and I too but we tend to leave her with Mom for “girlie time”. It means I can get out for an hour or so knowing that there is someone at home with my parents to help. As always a great post Christy x
I don’t know what your sources are, Christy, but it is an important topic. With every year, I realize just how important! LOL. I always enjoyed “oldsters” and never understood why others didn’t want to be bothered. Oh the stories they can tell! Hugs.
That phrase “oldsters” is one I’ll have to remember, Teagan ;) Happy Halloween, sweet you
This was great Christy. Loneliness can be a killer in itself. <3
If I may, Christy, I’d add one more thing to the item about medications. When my wife’s aunt was admitted to a long-term care facility, the doctor there did an examination which included a review of her medications. It turned out that her well-meaning family doctor had our aunt on the wrong medications – simply because the family doctor had no expertise with the elderly.
Gee, I’m a senior! Hopefully, the blogging is keeping my mind active enough. Dementia scares the living bejabbers out of me.
Great Post! Very informative. I would like to find out more about the cognitive stimulation therapy. Would love to learn how to do something like that. :)
Yes! During the his last days, we had to get someone for my grandfather. I think the companionship eased his passing. Superb post!
That’s good to hear of the ease that occurred… Your grandfather would be proud of all you are doing, Prajakta <3
Recently, my father who is the primary caregiver for my mother, who has dementia, hired a home care agency to help him when I’m at work. So far, she’s been a blessing. Great post, Christy! xo
I’m glad to hear of the positive experience with the caregiver, Jill! Thank you for your reads and comments ~ They are much appreciated here xo