Everybody has different wants and needs when it comes to senior care. These needs will vary based upon any physical limitations or disabilities that exist, other health conditions, and even just plain old personal preferences. What your family member might require in terms of the care that they need to get through their day might be very different from what my grandmother needs.
When planning the care of a loved one, it’s important to keep in mind that when there is an ongoing or chronic health problem for an elderly individual, the reactions to this in terms of senior care may vary. Even though the majority of individuals in one situation may want one thing, such as an in-home caregiver, that does not guarantee that your loved one will want the same thing. This is why it is so important that everyone’s personal care needs be customized to as great of a degree as possible. Someone who is unable to walk without great difficulty might want a different type of care than what someone suffering in the latter stages of cancer might require. Even two people with the exact same disability might want different kinds of care.
Talking with a loved one about their desires when it comes to senior care before they need it is important. This will give you a clear picture of what they envision as the perfect situation for their latter years, and is something that you should use as a reference if they are unable to have a say in their own senior care planning in the future.
In many cases, planning ahead like this is impossible. Although it’s the ideal situation, the need for senior care often arises unexpectedly. Also, keep in mind that sometimes the needs that are present are far different than what anyone may have imagined. Situations like this happen all the time. A fall in the bathroom could lead to a shattered hip, resulting in a life of wheelchair use afterward. A stroke while exercising could end with paralysis on one side of the body, necessitating intensive care. These things are not every day occurrences by any means, but they do happen, and it has the ability to send a family into a completely unexpected loop.
Can you plan for something like this? Not really. But by having at least an idea of what care is ideal for your mom or dad, you can begin with what their actual needs are, based upon an informed medical standpoint, and then customize their care as much as possible to get it to where they would want it to be. In the absence of a living will, this is a good way to proceed. And the sooner these conversations occur, the more likely you are to have an outline for the future.
A lot of seniors prefer to stay in their own homes as they age, and while we fully support this, it’s also not a realistic choice or even a desire for many people. The great thing about today’s senior care community is that care is customizable, and this is something that you should help your loved one to achieve if you are able to.
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