It should be no surprise that, given the choice, most seniors want to live in the comfort of the home and surroundings they are familiar with for as long as possible. However, even for seniors who are generally of solid mental and physical shape at the beginning of retirement, there may eventually come a point in time when the inevitable aging process gradually takes its toll. At that point, seniors may need help with one or more of their activities of daily living such as dressing, grooming, bathing, walking, and eating. Home care is an option that will allow them to remain at home safely, rather than in a facility.
Understand That Change Happens Gradually
Often small changes in a senior’s ability to cope with basic life skills will go unnoticed for some time. When that point of undeniable deterioration does arrive, family members can avoid jumping into crisis-mode about how to handle the seemingly now-urgent situation by doing some simple pre-planning. Pre-planning is the key to minimizing the stress and maximizing the quality of life for everyone involved.
Discuss Difficult Topics Early
In order to avoid this uncomfortable reactionary-mode of what-to-do-now from taking hold, it is best that scenario planning is discussed well before the situation becomes critical. When uncomfortable conversations about aging, quality of life, deteriorating health, and even death, are held with calm objective mindsets, families can make decisions by taking everyone’s best interests and desires into account. Just as in financial retirement planning, our expectations about how we 
will age also need to be planned while we are able. This is a great time to discuss the option of home care with your loved ones.
Get Assistance
When the time does come that a senior needs some extra help, enlist the help of others, such as a qualified home care agency, to monitor seniors’ well-being. Reputable agencies send licensed, certified home care aides to provide caring living assistance for older people. Besides personal care, they do errands, shopping, housekeeping, and also offer friendly companionship. Professional elder care helps ease minds of both the family caregivers (especially those living long-distances) as well as the senior who is receiving care. Best of all, home care allows seniors to safely remain in the comfort of their own home!
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Citations:
- Photo Credit: title=”Senior Citizens” by laRuth, on Flickr
- Photo Credit: title=”Wisdom” by emilio labrador, on Flickr
Attached Images:
- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
Helen Hoefele is a part of an elite team of writers who have contributed to hundreds of blogs and news sites. Follow her at: @For_You_To_Know.