There reaches a time where we might need to provide long-term care for a loved one. This need may come from sickness or old age. Long term care can be provided at home or long-term care facilities. If you decide to take care of your loved one at home, here are a few things you should know:
1. Have a Proper Care Plan
When taking care of an old or sick person, you should be alert about their medication and supplies. If you are taking care of a senior person, follow up on whether they are taking their medicine.
Have a medical supply store in mind in case you run out of care materials. The store should be reliable because some materials are essential when taking care of such people.
Plan how you are going to feed them. In these conditions, most people refuse to eat. Be creative with the eating schedules and make food tasty to lure them into eating. While scheduling, you might have to bring them a few small meals a day so they will take a bite or two at a time.
2. Have a Healthcare Plan
Long-term care can be costly when doing it on your own. That is why you need to have an excellent insurance plan in case of a chronic health condition. Talk to insurance agents, and they will provide you with relevant plans.
While insured, the medical bill does not become a burden to you. Instead, your coverage takes care of the bills so you can continue taking care of your loved one.
3. Make Your House Comfortable and Accessible
If you are taking care of a person who has difficulty in moving around or has poor vision, inspect your home environment. Remove any object that can cause accidents. Cover open places and ensure there is nothing slippery to avoid falls. Falls can cause serious injuries such as broken bones, which are hard to heal in sick people.
Additionally, if your loved one’s room is located upstairs, consider relocating it downstairs. It will make it easy for them to access their rooms with less effort and little assistance.
Regulate the temperature to make sure your loved one does not feel too hot or too cold in the house. It helps them reduce anxiety and feel more peaceful.
4. Let Other People Help You
It can be overwhelming to take care of a person because you need to give them your attention. As a result, you end up with an overgrown lawn and running short of groceries. Cleaning becomes challenging too because you cannot spend a lot of time away from the person you are caring for.
It is important to ask a family member or friend to help you in fetching the groceries and cleaning the house. Alternatively, you can request service providers to assist you in maintaining your lawn and garden.
Another way of seeking help is by getting a house helper. They can help you with house chores, and you can focus on primarily taking care of your loved one.
Do not forget to take care of your mental wellness. If you do all the work by yourself, you are likely to suffer from stress. When this happens, the quality of care goes down. Seek help from mental professionals and connect with other caregivers for support.
5. Make It Work
One of the most important things to keep in mind is it will not be easy. There are some things you will have to do to make your loved one feel comfortable. Because they cannot do most things as you can, adjust so you can be at the same pace as them.
Senior people, especially, become irritable easily. You have to learn about things they do not like and those that make them happy. The idea is to make them feel loved. If they love some specific music, play it for them. Never force them into doing something at any given time. Instead, try doing it in a fun way that will make them want to engage.
Are you planning to have home-based term care for a loved one? Before beginning, make sure you have all these factors in mind.