The National Aging in Place Council (NAIPC) reports that 90 percent of adults over the age of 65 prefer to stay in their current residence as they age. But 70% of those 65 and older will require some type of long term care. While having a plan in place is always beneficial, you never predict when your loved one’s needs can change.
The good news is Diversified Nurse Consultants can help with the process. This includes assisting in Aging at Home if desired or recommending the proper assistance needed, such as a continuum of care community.
When mom or dad do start to need help, it tends to be close family members, spouses, adult children, siblings, or grandchildren that step in to assist with care. Sometimes the support needed can be fairly simple, such as help with transportation, or arranging for assistance with shopping or household chores. In other cases, family members find themselves having to take on quite a lot. This is often due to health issues affecting their loved one’s ability to remain independent and manage various aspects of life.
Some of these health situations could include:
- Dementia/Alzheimer’s
- Chronic Illness
- Sudden disability due to a fall, stroke, or other health condition
- Hospitalization
- Cognitive changes that can happen as we age
Most people are happy to be able to help an older parent or other loved one in need, but it’s also common for people to find it difficult, stressful or emotionally impossible.
A substantial body of research shows that family members who provide care to individuals with chronic or disabling conditions are themselves at risk. Emotional, mental, and physical health problems arise from complex caregiving situations and the strains of caring for frail or disabled relatives.
Trying to help an older parent tends to bring up different issues that people haven’t prepared a plan for. Many people must continue to tend to their jobs, children, and other responsibilities, as they also start trying to figure out their new caregiving role, which can lead to stress, as well as not attending to their own personal needs.
A study has shown that 16% of caregivers feel emotionally strained and 26% say taking care of the care recipient is hard on them emotionally. An additional 13% of caregivers feel frustrated with the lack of progress made with the care recipient.
At Diversified Nurse Consultants we have seen many families struggling to sort out just what their older parent(s) might need help with, or how to help. DNC offers numerous services that can be helpful to both the caregiver and your loved one. We assess & problem-solve items aligned with overall health care & quality of life. This includes medical, emotional, social, economic, legal, & spiritual domains. Our mission is to ensure that clients and families receive the safest and highest quality of care.
We’d love to help! To learn more about our services and programs click here or call us at 844-580-8338.