How To Taking Care of Parents

With advances in medicine and technology, our elders are living longer than ever. With this longer life expectancy comes great joy in passing down legacies, traditions, and memories of time gone by. More seniors are leading active, vibrant lifestyles today – long into their golden years – than ever before.A couple of years ago, I got an overseas opportunity with my dream company. Initially, I was very happy with the offer – everything looked perfect. The job, the new salary and even the accommodation they were providing. Then it struck me – what about my eldery parents?

Domains to Consider When Helping Older Parents

Here are nine types of issues that tend to come up, when helping older parents.

Helping with Activities of Daily Living (ADL):

• Older adults often first need help with IADLs, which include things like managing transportation, finances, shopping, home maintenance, and meal preparation.

• An older person’s need for assistance with ADLs and/or IADLs often determines what kind of care arrangements or housing arrangements a family might consider.

Safety Issues:

• This includes addressing issues such as financial vulnerability (or even exploitation), falls, driving concerns, and more.

Medical and health Issues:

• Medical concerns are fairly common in late-life. Many older adults have chronic conditions that require medications, monitoring, and other forms of ongoing management.

• Older adults may also develop new symptoms or health concerns, and may need their family’s assistance in getting evaluated.

• Family members often help bring up questions and concerns to the health providers.Most people will also need help when recovering from an illness.

Quality of life and Helping your Older Parent Thrive

• Beyond meeting basic needs, most families are also concerned about their older loved one’s quality of life.

• This means considering issues such as social connected, purpose, autonomy, and dignity.

Legal and financial Issues

• Some older adults may lose the capacity to manage certain types of financial or legal affairs.

• Even cognitively-intact older adults are vulnerable to financial exploitation.

• Family members must often consider assisting with legal and financial issues.

• Planning ahead and completing the necessary legal paperwork can make it much easier for a family to assist, if/when it becomes necessary.