When faced with the daunting reality of looking after ageing parents, it’s understandable you might feel like the weight of the whole world is on your shoulders; as in addition to tending to the needs of your own children and partner, and managing your own work-life balance, you are now facing the pressure of taking care of your parents too.
This can be a real struggle and it’s something a lot of people choose to outsource in part, as not only must you tend to their medical, physiological and daily practical needs there’s als their social and emotional needs to consider too.
Indeed, there’s a limit to how much you can do to protect them. No matter how hard you try, you’re unlikely to be able to take full care of the full gamut of your parents’ needs – but there is an area, that is often overlooked that you can play a vital role in, which is that of tending to their emotional and social needs.
One of the major problems elderly people face is that of loneliness. Indeed, the impact of loneliness can be more debilitating than any of their physical ailments and it’s easily manageable. Admittedly, tending to their emotional needs is not as simple as switching on an electric blanket to keep them warm at night, but there are ways you can lighten the load when it comes to their loneliness.
It’s important you don’t give yourself a hard time, as we always feel like we could or should be doing more… but you need to live your own life too… and there are ways of caring for their social needs without you needing to be at their beckon call. This article explores three appealing options that can help lighten the load.
DAILY CARE
The core requirement of ageing parents with medical conditions is that of senior life care. It’s important to remember there’s only so much you can do, and sometimes it can feel more dignified to outsource certain aspects of care to a professional partner that isn’t as emotionally affected by the situation. It’s important you remember your own wellbeing in this situation and one of the best ways to take care of basic daily care is to outsource this to professional carers, ideally a specialist within a relevant area.
PAID COMPANIONSHIP
It might feel like a strange notion to have to pay someone to offer companionship, but an external companion can provide great relief for both you and your parent.
The important thing when searching for a companion, therefore, is a genuine connection that leads to natural rapport. There are plenty of old people that wouldn’t fancy the idea of having a companion, in this way, out of pride or perhaps fear that they don’t want the awkwardness of having to interact with someone they don’t really know or trust; therefore it’s of critical importance you find someone that can relate on their level – and the natural choice would be a similarly aged peer.
DAYCARE
There are many daycare options available, where people get to interact with their peers, however something to be mindful of is that just because someone is elderly doesn’t mean they want to be put on a coach and force fed bingo sessions. It’s important you find a daycare centre that is aligned with your parent(s) interests and natural character.
In summary, you really want to be finding something suitable for your parent that naturally aligns with their character. Most people value developing a deep and meaningful friendship with a person rather than several superficial acquaintances.