June 15, 2020 | Aging Life Care, Caregiving, Home Care
Learning how to manage parent care can be a challenge when you live far away from each other. Whether you are caring for a parent in another state or you live just an hour away, it takes time, effort, and strategic planning. Family caregivers can face significant stress, including feeling helpless and pulled in different directions, as well as managing financial pressures. This is why it is essential to tap into available resources to help you whenever possible.
How to Manage Parent Care from a Distance
Here are a few tips on how to manage parent care from a distance:
- Consider Living Arrangements: Most aging adults have the goal of maintaining independence at home as long as possible. Eventually, most older adults require help with finances and/or their everyday activities of daily living. Some families decide to move closer to each other, with the parent moving tt the adult child’s location or vice versa. Options include living together, your parent or you living in your own apartment or house nearby, or your parent living in a retirement
- In-Home Care: If moving isn’t an option for you or your parent, then hiring in-home care can be a valuable resource. Even part-time services can make a big difference in ensuring your parent’s safety and quality of life, and your peace of mind. It is important to carefully evaluate the level of help that is needed, then find a trusted provider in the area.
- Visit as Often as Possible: While the current COVID-19 crisis has made this more challenging, it is important to have face-to-face time with your loved one. These visits give you a chance to assess the quality of care your parent is receiving, see with your own eyes how your parent is doing physically and emotionally, and spend time together that is fun, not just about their care needs. If in-person visits are not possible right now, ask your parent’s care provider to help you utilize technology to set up video chats, photo sharing, or other online tools to stay connected.
- Have a Back-Up Plan: Even though your parent’s condition may be stable right now, a health crisis or accident could change the circumstances in an instant. Your family should consider your financial resources and your parents’ preferences in designing a phased plan for increasing care as needed in the future.
Resources from Aging Life Care® Managers
As your family navigates new life circumstances, it is essential to have support through this process. An Aging Life Care Manager or Geriatric Care Manager can help you set up a plan to protect your parent’s safety and quality of life, monitor your parents’ situation closely and stay in regular communication with you regarding your parent’s changing needs over time. Windward Life Care is here to help. Contact us to learn more about these services.