While caring for aging parents is often a tender and rewarding phase of life, successful caregiving while also attending to your own life can also be challenging to balance.
We designed this checklist for caring for elderly parents to give you a tangible overview of areas to consider when you’re taking care of your loved one.
Let’s look at the five most important areas to consider when you’re supporting elderly parents.
1 – Surviving Caregiving
First things first: remember to take care of yourself. While caring for an elderly parent can be a beautiful experience, many caregivers also share with us that the juggling of the multiple responsibilities involved weighs on them, especially over time. It can be a lot to balance, but knowing your limits, establishing boundaries, and asking for help goes a long way to support your own wellbeing as a caregiver.
Learn our top three tips for taking care of yourself as a caregiver.
2 – Medication Worries
Most older adults take at least one, and often multiple, medications, whether to manage a serious health condition or improve quality of life as they age. 15% of senior hospitalizations occur from medication errors or adverse drug reactions. We recommend an organized tracking system that works for you and your elderly parent to stay on top of medications and considerably reduce risk.
Download our medication chart templates to stay on top of medications.
3 – Nutrition and Wellness
Improved mental clarity, a healthier immune system, and increased energy are just a few benefits of a well-designed nutrition and wellness program for your aging parent. But from efficient grocery shopping to ensuring they’re eating a variety of healthy foods, a healthy and sustainable nutrition plan for seniors requires a bit of up front planning. And when it comes to physical wellbeing and fitness, it’s important to consider a variety of factors, including whether they’re getting quality sleep and which types of exercises they might enjoy.
Get clarity about where you could use support as a caregiver with our free nutrition and physical needs assessment.
4 – Personal and Home Safety
While seniors often opt to stay in their homes as long as possible, a 2020 study found that fewer than 10% of U.S. homes have enough aging-accessible features. This includes things like wheelchair accessibility, first floor bedrooms and bathrooms, and built-in shower seats. When you’re considering senior safety, it’s also important to remember emotional wellbeing. Lower social support or a lack of emotional safety can leave your loved one more susceptible, for example, to senior scams.
Get started on an aging-accessible home with this senior friendly bathroom checklist.
5 – Planning Ahead
As your parents age, you may find yourself responsible for care decisions, from adult day care or short term stay possibilities to end of life wishes. An excellent starting point is meeting as a family to understand any particular desires your aging parent may have, so they can be as much part of conversation as possible.
Take our planning needs assessment to pinpoint any areas you may need clarity or support.
Next Steps
While senior caregiving is a learn-as-you-go process for most of us, the more clarity you can get up front, the smoother the experience will be for the whole family. We hope this checklist for aging parents offers a helpful bird’s eye view on your journey in caring for your loved one.
And as always, we’re here to help. Call us at 855-461-2552 or send us a message, anytime.
